Anarchy
by Shade O'Killer
Summary: She didn't care about justice. She would start the fires to watch them burn. L, Kira, meet Anarchy, and she won't play by your rules.
1. Chapter 1

"A death note? Really? They expect me to believe that?" the brunette looked at the black notebook she had grabbed off the street. "Still, you can never have too many notebooks. And who knows maybe it can kill." Snorting she slid the note into her bag and continued the final blocks home, mentally reciting her homework.

Letting herself into the looked house Anna dumped her art case in her room and continued into the lounge. Her parents wouldn't be home for at least another hour and homework wasn't that entertaining. The s getting to her Anna flicked the TV on, flipping it to a music channel briefly before turning it off in disgust. Justin Bieber. She hated the kid and his music, homework looking more appetising she pulled her books from her bag.

The Death Note slipped out. Glancing thought the rules she eyed the TV speculatively. If this was something like Kira's weapon/power then maybe there was some use for the little black book other than doodles and notes. Grabbing a pen she wrote quickly.

_Justin Bieber, stabs himself in the eye with a pen and dies three months later of ink poising_. Laughing at herself she dropped the book in her bag, really what was she thinking? A note book as Kira's weapon of choice?

By the time her parents came home she had all but forgotten about the book.

* * *

><p>Three months passed and Anna was finishing her homework (an essay on the differences between Meiosis and Mitoses) when the news caught her attention.<p>

"Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber finally succumbed to ink poising, ending his three week hospital stay on gruesome terms..." Anna gaped at the TV in shock.

"What a ridicules way to die." Her Mum shook her head in disbelief.

"WHAT?" her Dad shouted from the kitchen.

"Justin Bieber died from ink poising, from when he stabbed himself with that pen, remember?" Mum shouted back at Dad

"_Don't look alarmed, get your Death Note and meet me outside."_ Anna glanced around, looking foe that voice.

"Anna? What are you doing?" the girl blinked at her mother.

"Nothing, just thought I heard something." Wandering gout of her room Anna's eyes widened almost comically.

She had killed Justin Bieber. She had written ink poising in the book and it happened. Did that mean the voice had been... a Shinigami? Grabbing the black book from under her bed – where all things end up eventually – Anna hurried downstairs and out the back door.

"_About time you got here."_ the voice came from a beautiful woman with blond hair and red eyes. She could have been a super model, until she turned to face Anna completely. Forcing the girl to hold back her gag reflex.

While the woman's left side was beautiful, her right was anything but. That side of her face was a skull with some strands of hair cling to her scalp. The rest of her body was a mix of bare bone and rotting flesh. The woman – Shinigami –she reminded herself, was half dead.

"_My name is Hel."_ She/It said _"how do you like my note book, Anna?" _Hearing her name brought the girl out of her state of shock.

"So it's true? All the rules and stuff in that book?" Anna's mind was racing to keep up with the influx of information. "Are you here to take it back or can I keep it?" the Death God looked vaguely amused.

"_You can keep the book if you wish, but surrendering the Note will result in losing all memory of it."_ Anna nodded, looking thoughtful.

"And can people only see you if they've what... touched the book?" Hel nodded.

"_Or a part of it"_ Making a mental note not to let anyone touch the book and moved on.

"Ok, do you need food or anything? Assuming you'll be following me around of cores."

"_I will tell you if I require anything"_ Hel assured with a roll of her eye.

"Okay then, you do that." Anna walked back inside and Hel followed with a sigh.

* * *

><p>It was the first official day of the term 12 holidays when Anna put her plan into action. First she photocopied the rules of the Death Note. Saving them in a word document and writing down everything that happened since finding it. Then she made a video.

It really was amazing the stuff you could do with a web cam, editing software, and an internet connection.

Anna smiled at the uploaded video, three hours and it was already going viral and 'NoteTheAnarchy' had subscribers by the bucket load.

"_What this?"_ Hel had been absent for the day, off hiding some pages of the death note.

"Listen." Anna said, hitting the play button and smirking at her distorted voice.

"**Hello, I am Anarchy. You will by now have heard about the death of teen sensation Justin Bieber. I am the one who caused this. I can kill anyone. I am not Kira, I am not L. I do not care who you are, where you are, or what you do. I can end you. I am holding the world to ransom and there is nothing you can give me that will change this. To prove that I am not jumping on the 'I am Kira' bandwagon at 3:10 pm on the 23 of April Greenwich mean time Miley Cyrus will bite through her tongue and die from the blood lose. Look on the bright side; you have a one in over seven billion chance of death. Don't piss me off, your odds go up.**

"**Until next time."** Anna looked up at Hel.

"Do you like it?" The Shinigami tilted her head to the side.

"_Is the user photo a picture of me?"_ Hel glanced up and saw Anna's too-innocent expression.

"Maybe?" Anna smiled widely. "So what do you think of my broadcast? Not bad for a few hours work, eh?"

"_Well, at least you promise to be interesting."_ Anna just laughed.

A/N – So, this is my first Death Note fanfiction. I can't promise regular updates or anything like it. I'm doing this because it seems rather natural for someone who hasn't had such a justice orientated life as Light did to just treat it like a game. Anna does have a few mental issues that will explain how... easy she is treating this which will come into play later. Hel is based on how I invasion the Nordic Queen of the Underworld Hel the Halfborn. She is the child of Loki in mythology but here is just another disturbing Death God.

TTFN

Shade


	2. Chapter 2

Anna grinned at her inbox. E-mails were flooding in, people demanding she turn herself in, asking why Justin Bieber ('What did he do to you? He was talented you jealous bitch.), asking her plans for Kira. But this was different, someone had asked to speak, face to face, and exchange notes. It claimed to be from Kira.

It made Anna laugh.

After all, hadn't she told everyone she wasn't on a side? Maybe not in as many words but still.

"_Are you going to answer?"_ Hel leaned over Anna's shoulder, keeping her living profile facing the girl.

"Do I look stupid? No I'm not going to answer, if this is Kira, which I doubt, then chances are they did that eye trade thing. Plus, at the moment no one knows where I am. People probably assume that I'm in Japan like Kira and L, even if I didn't speak Japanese in the video. Besides people telling me what to do? Never goes over well."

"Anna, hurry up and get down here! You'll be late for therapy." Anna sighed and logged off the computer.

"_Therapy?"_ Hel asked, following Anna out the door.

"You'll see, wont you?" Anna whispered.

* * *

><p>"Hello Anna, how have we been?" Tracey, Anna's therapist for the last six months asked brightly.<p>

"Fine." Anna answered, steering out the window. Big question disguised as a little one.

"School?"

"Fine."

"Your parents?" _ah, that's what you were getting at_.

"Fine."

"_You two seem so close."_ Anna fought the urge to reply. She had mistakenly told the therapist about her nightmares once, it had resulted in sleeping pills. She didn't want to know what would happen if she was diagnosed with hallucinations. It would probably tick the box they needed to keep her drugged in a corner.

"Really? Have you talked to them about what we talk about in sessions?"

"We don't talk." Anna looked up at the clock. Five minutes down, fifty five more to go.

"Would you like us to? I'm here to help you Anna. I want you to be safe and happy." The tone the therapist took annoyed Anna. She was too soft, too quiet, too 'talk to me because I know what's best for you'.

The session passed agonisingly slowly, and it felt much later than it was when Anna finally left the offices.

* * *

><p>"<em>So, why are you in therapy?"<em> Anna looked over at the death god, whose living profile still faced Anna. Hel seemed to be going out of her way to keep that side facing Anna.

"I like fire." Anna admitted. "I like playing with fire. Sometimes I got burnt. Sometimes other people did. The thing is, I know that when I play with fire it can play back. But no one else gets that."

"_You're a pyromaniac."_ Anna couldn't tell if Hel was happy about that.

"Maybe a little." Anna held her fingers about three centimetres apart before shrugging. "Or a lot."

"_And you don't talk to the therapist because...?"_ Anna sighed.

"I told some people that I had nightmares. Nasty ones where I couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. They gave me sleeping pills. They didn't help."

"_So one mistake made you not trust them?"_ Hel sounded amused.

"When I first got insomnia they said I was too young for drugs. Once they decided I was burring myself to stay awake suddenly, pills."

"_So they believe you are insane?"_ Anna nodded.

"Insanity is something you can't get out of. If you say you aren't, they say you're in denial, or lying, or deranged. Agree with them and you find yourself pumped full of pills. Lose lose situation." Hel hummed a non answer.

"_Isn't today when you kill that Mily girl?"_

"Miley. Yes, it's all written down. Technically it will be tomorrow by the time it comes into effect."

"_Aren't you worried about getting caught?"_ Hel asked, eyes flicking to above Anna's head.

"No, I expect to be dead by then. You did say that you would be the one to kill me, right?"

"_I've never heard a human so calm about their death before."_ Anna shrugged.

"Oh, can you imagine the reaction when she dies? People will be terrified." Anna grinned. "With any luck they'll be more afraid of me than Kira."

"_Oh?"_

"Yes, the perfect, law abiding, Kira worshiping citizen has nothing to fear from Kira. But I don't care. I'm going for impact."

* * *

><p>"So... Does this mean there are three people with Kiras power?" Matsuda asked the task force.<p>

"It appears so." L spoke around his thumb. "Does this mean Kiras power is something from a third party?"

The Police Task Force had just finished re-watching the video from 'Anarchy'. The Task Force had at first passed it off as an internet hoax. After all, there were already two known Kiras, the thought of another one – one with an even more twisted moral compass – was worrying to say the least.

"What are you talking about Ryuzaki?"

"He means that Kira might have a weapon, not a power. Right?" Light glanced down at the detective – the only one who sat to watch the video – expecting him to confirm.

"Seven percent, Light-Kun." L didn't bother glancing up, meaning he missed the expression that momentarily twisted its self across Lights face.

"_Careful Light. You don't wana sound too knowledgeable. Heheeheheheeheh" _ Ryuk laughed. He seemed to be enjoying Lights inability to comment on his situation. Light made a note not to let the Shinigami have any apples for a few days.

"Do you think Anarchy will say what the weapon – if it is one – is? He doesn't seem to be playing Kiras game."

"What do you mean Light?" Looking up at his farther Light explained.

"He said that he didn't care who he killed. The original Kira was only killing criminals, and the second one only killed criminals and those who spoke out against Kira. As far as I know, neither Justin Bieber nor Miley Cyrus have taken a public stance one way or that other. The Kiras lose their advantage if the weapon is revealed, so they logically won't be saying anything. Anarchy doesn't seem bothered about getting caught, so might be more inclined to say." The Task Force moved their gaze as one from Light to L.

"It is possible." The detective admitted. "But it would be better to focus on luring out the second Kira fist."

At the unspoken dismissal the task force slipped off to different jobs.

L glared at the screen showing Anarchy's symbol, a series of arrows pointing outward to form a circle. _'Who are you? Why are you doing this?_

* * *

><p>Anna looked up from her homework. "bored now."<p>

**A/N: Did you expect an update this soon? Me neither. Do I have homework needing to be handed in first thing Monday? Yes. Is my drama group gonna be pissed? Yes!**

**Anna's therapy session is loosely based on my own. Did the task force seem... Off to you? I've rewritten that scene several times, but nothing seems to make it better.**

**TTFN**

**Shade**


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Hel."

"_Yes?"_ The death god looked up.

"Is it too late to do that trade thing?"

"_The eye trade can be done at any time, why? Do you want to do it?"_

"Yeah, I think so. It doesn't hurt does it?"

"_I don't know"_ Hel admitted. _"I have always seen people's names and deaths. I think it would be strange not to see them." _Hel floated in front of Anna. _"Close your eyes."_

Anna did as Hel instructed. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, maybe a tingling sensation? Maybe burning, like when you look at the sun too long? But it didn't feel. Anna closed her eyes, and when she opened them again her life was shortened by half.

"Did it work?" Anna didn't feel any different. Was it just a hoax? A trick to make humans voluntarily shorten their lifespan?

"_You tell me."_ Anna pouted, looking around she spotted the only photo of a person in the room, a picture of her and her friend, both much younger. Above her friend head floated her name – Abigail Jane Black – and a countdown, all in red. Above Anna the only thing that floated was her name.

"Whoa." This was brilliant, what had she been thinking, not agreeing to this earlier. She didn't need to find someone's name now, all she needed was a face.

"_I take it that it worked then?"_ Hel's smirk was audible.

"Oh yes, this is brilliant." Anna opened her mouth to say more when her mother's head poked around the door.

"Who are you talking to, honey?" Anna's mothers voice was overly sweet, above her head floated Ana Butler Jackson, and below that 94678000, 94677999, 998, 997.

"I wasn't mum, are you hearing things?" Anna smiled up at her mother. The two looked at each other, both wanting to outlast the other. Eventually her mother looked away.

"Must have been, don't stay up to late. School in the morning." Anna listened to her mother leave, keeping note of the steeps she took. When her mother had finally mover out of ear shot Anna sighed.

"That was close, imagine the reaction to these 'Hallucinations'. I'd get locked up."

"_You say that a lot." _Hel noted.

"I'm worried about it." Anna admitted.

* * *

><p>"Anarchy killed again, John Smith, Alison Michelson, and Thomson Thomson all shouted 'Anarchy' before stabbing themselves in the centre of crowed streets at 12:10 local time." Mogi looked up from the reports. "None of them are related, none of them have exceptional jobs, none of them have even been in the same city as another in over the six months."<p>

"Has Anarchy uploaded another video?" Aizawa asked. "Surely he would want to show off?"

"Show off what?" Asked Matsuda.

"To prove that it doesn't matter who you are or what you do, Anarchy can still kill you." Light answered. "Until now Anarchy has only killed celebrity's, people who are always in the public eye. By killing some people who are average he is proving that no one is safe."

"Do you think that Anarchy has the ability to kill with only a face like the second Kira?" Matsuda looked worried. "Because then, what good is having fake identification?"

"It isn't proven that Kira has the ability to kill without a name, and that the second Kira can hasn't been proven yet." L said. "It is likely that Anarchy got the needed information from social networking sights." L took a bight of strawberry cheese cake. "Back to the original point Anarchy has uploaded another video."

The taskforce walked around to be able to see the computer screen.

"**The Detective, by Anarchy.**

**Once there was a famous detective. He was the best detective in the world. If there was a case the police couldn't solve they handed it to him. Make no mistake, the police didn't like handing over a case, but the detective was just so very, very, very good.**

**The detective would boast that he could solve any case, that he could bring justice, and indeed it seemed like he could. But the police didn't like him very much. He was paranoid, they would whisper, he never shows his face. But the detective always did his job; he really did seem to be justice.**

**But then came; The Case. No one noticed it at first but criminals were dying. There seemed to be no way to solve it, medical conditions weren't that strange, surely.**

**But then more died. And more. And more. And more. Suddenly heart attacks had turned into murder weapons, and the police were stumped. 'Where do we look?' they asked. 'How does he kill?' They thought and they thought until they could think no more. **

'**We have no choice.' They said. 'We must call in the detective.' They summed up their courage, and pride – what was left, and called up the detective.**

**He said it was a murderer, one from Japan. He said he would solve it. The police knew that he could and followed his advice. 'You know how he thinks, Kira will be caught very soon.'**

**But Kira wasn't caught and as time dragged on, the police caught themselves thinking.**

**What of the detective was wrong?**

**It was unthinkable, horrible, yet possibly true. And as more people died the police started to think. 'What if the detective was Kira? And that was why he hadn't been caught.' The detective who boasted, who called himself justice.**

**Was it really so hard to think he would kill?"**

The end of the video left the task force in silence. As they watched L seemed to be breaking down, he was shaking, his hands gripping to arms of the chair so hard he turned his knuckles white.

"Ryuzaki, are you ok?" Light watched as the detective slowly got control of himself.

"Light-Kun." L didn't say anything else, but the implication was there. _Someone is blaming me for what Kira is doing. Because of this there is a 40% chance that anything I say will be treated with suspicion._ "Anarchy planted a seed of doubt, made all the worse by the fact that it could be true. There are enough facts in the story that it isn't a lie. It is just an accusation."

"We know you aren't Kira, Ryuzaki." Sachiko stated. "No one with an ounce of brains will believe something coming from Anarchy."

"We'll catch Kira and Anarchy! We'll show Kira's supporters that killing criminals isn't justice! And we'll show Anarchy that mass murders are punished by the law, not Kira." Once Matsuda finished Aizawa glared at him.

"I thank you for your support." _I will catch you, Anarchy, Kira, before either of you can destroy my reputation irreparably._

* * *

><p><em>Burning, screaming. Orange and read dancing around her. Runrunrunrunrun. Burt flesh – smells like pork – tears streaming eyes burning.<em>

Anna woke up feeling sick. She stumbled out of her bed and to the bathroom, heaving dinner into the toilet. She was panting, she could still smell the fire –_''tblameme _ - feel the heat burning her skin.

Rinsing out her mouth Anna flushed the toilet, fully expecting a night filled with no sleep.

"-About her nightmares. Therapy isn't working." Frowning Anna moved closer to her parent's room, they were talking about... her?

"Tracey said possible schizophrenia. Do we need to get her tested? She needs help Ana." Eyes wide Anna went back to her own room, suddenly freezing.

_They think I did it, they think I started the fire._ Pulling the covers over her head Anna whispered. "They think I burned down the school."

**A/N: So, why is it the story I don't expect to update **_**is being updated almost daily?**_** What is wrong with me? I hope that people like The Detective; it was really fun to write. I think I got the task force a bit better this time (I hope). Also there is no test for schizophrenia; Anna's dad is a bit of an idiot. Ana is pronounced Are-na for anyone who got confused**


	4. Chapter 4

"I look like shit." Anna sighed, steering at her face in the mirror. Her hair, that was always messy, was even more so now it had been cut short, her eyes were bloodshot with darkening bags. With a sigh Anna started the well practiced, and well resented, process of making herself look... well, less crazy. The hair was dealt to with copious amounts of conditioner, the bags with concealer, and her general bad-sleeping-patterns skin with foundation.

When looking more like a person and less like a child of the corn Anna made her lunch. Strongly aware of her parents Looks, ones that spoke more about the conversation she had overheard than the conversation itself. Despite the amount of times one or both of her parents opened their mouths the only time anyone actually said anything was her farther – James Morgan Jackson 1261439982 – wishing her luck at school.

"_That seemed awkward."_ Hel commented, tossing a plum in the air. _"Morning's weren't always like this were they?"_

"No, it's always like this after a nightmare. They want me to talk about it but are afraid of what I'll say. Or something like that. Who knows, maybe the men in white coats are going to take me away and they don't know how to tell me. Are you going to eat that?" Anna pointed at the plum Hel had been tossing in the air, in response the Reaper opened her mouth and swallowed the plum hole.

"_So, what's school like?"_ Hel asked, waiting for Anna to lock the door.

"For you? Mind numbingly dull. For me? Mind numbingly dull, with homework!" Anna grinned brightly. "But nobody will think it's strange that I'm writing notes."

* * *

><p>"So," Jack looked up from his self portrait to the rest of the table. "Imposable question time. Who would you rather meet; Kira or Anarchy?"<p>

"Kira." Luke answered instantly. "What he's doing will save the world."

"Luke, we can get to your fixation with Mr. God Complex later." Sarah grinned. "I think I'd rather meet Anarchy. I mean, assuming they know we know who they are then Kira will kill you to stop the secret from getting out. At least with Anarchy there's the chance that he will find you funny and let you live."

"I agree with Sarah." Laura said. "I'd go for the chance. Besides my Mum's a police officer, the last five cases she's worked on have been killed by Kira. And you know New Zealand doesn't have the death penalty. Anna?"

"_Yes Anna, do you want to meet yourself?"_ Hel giggled. _"Did you not spend enough time in front of the mirror this morning?"_ Anna sighed.

"I would like to know who Kira is." _Because then this would be so much more fun_. "But I wouldn't want to meet him."

"Anarchy then?" Jack asked.

"No, it's the same with Anarchy." Anna paused and bit her lip. "I, actually I want to meet L. Ask him about the stuff in Anarchy's video. Your turn Jack."

"L wasn't an option." The boy complained. "I recon Kira would be best. As long as he knows you won't tell you'll be fine. Assuming you don't have a criminal record that is."

"People with a-" Luck was cut off.

"Luke, if I hear one word about how Kira will save us all, or how Kira is no harm if you've done nothing wrong I swear I will shove this pencil so far up your nose." Sarah held her woodless charcoal pencil out threateningly. At thirteen centimetres long it was a very real threat.

"Oi, you lot over there! Stop talking or I will separate you. Get back to work."

"Yes Miss." They mumbled, resuming their conversation in whispers. Turning slightly Anna spotted the art teacher still watching them. Above her head floated _Alexis Fisher 630720056_ and it almost hurt Anna to not jot her name down in the Death Note.

Seeing names was harder than Anna had thought. Red numbers were ticking down above heads constantly. She had to remind herself not to call out to people she _didn't actually know_. It was a lot harder that Anna originally thought.

* * *

><p>"Ryuzaki, you can't keep Misa-san locked up like this. It's inhumane."<p>

"The chief's right. What if Misa isn't the second Kira? Then you would have locked up an innocent girl." Matsuda watched the blond models image for a moment before turning away in disgust.

"Currently there is a less than 20% chance that I am wrong in my suspicions. What about Anarchy?"

"He has announced two of his kills in each video. The targets still seem to be random, but he's hinting that politicians will be the next ones."

"Were were the last targets?" L looked away from Misa, _would Anarchy tell us how they kill?_

"Adelaide, Port Macquarie, and Rockhampton. All in Australia. Before that Nottingham, Southampton and Norwich, all in England."

"Three more, Nelson, Blenheim, and Masterton, that's New Zealand." Mogi added grimly. It wasn't fun to have to delve through a mass murders video channel to see what they were planning, Mogi was only doing it because he drew the short straw.

Literally, L could be rather childish when he wanted to be.

"Is he still telling the location of the wildcard?" Wildcard was the term used to define the one location that wasn't named, the one where instead of a city being warned an entire country worried about dying screaming 'Anarchy'. More than most did anyway.

"Down to just the specific location where the er-Wildcard will die. And before you ask, there are still no relations between victims, and any possible ones seem to be accidental." Light answered. "Ryuzaki, we aren't going to be any use to you unless we have some actual sleep, in a bed." The detective sighed.

"Go. Light-kun is right." L left it at that, retuning his complete attention to the screens. The task force said their (ignored) goodbyes.

L swiftly minimised the footage of Misa on his screen, loading in to the YouTube account he had set up for his alias Elliot Crew. There was a ten percent chance that this would work. It was not high percentage, but Anarchy was unpredictable.

L sent a simple message: What do I do if I want to find you?

He didn't expect an answer, hoped yes, wanted yes. But expect one? No. So he was surprised when, not ten minutes later, he had a response.

Localised dot-to-dot

-Anarchy

**A/N: Hey, do you know what that last bit means? Yep, L's gonna get a pen pall! Also I have what happens **_**after**_** Anna gets caught written up, and so expect a smidge of foreshadowing.**

**Yes, I'm sacred too.**

**-Shade**


	5. Chapter 5

L was unhappy. His continued suspicions of Light Yagami had resulted in both the Yagami males volunteering for solitarily confinement, the younger under assumptions of subconscious-Kira, something L had quickly averted. The Kira killings had stopped, but the task force didn't want to believe that Light Yagami, golden boy, could do such a thing.

And then there was the fact that Anarchy had decided to 'fill the void' caused by Kira's sudden stop. In his own special way of course.

Found me yet, Elliot?

-Anarchy

Ever since sending that first message, and Anarchy's first response, L and Anarchy had stepped up their game. The game was twisted, for every fact L got correct about him someone would be speared. The few times L got something wrong, well, spared lives vanished rather quickly when he did.

But L was only wrong five percent of the time.

I'm narrowing it down. The detective sent back.

Sure you are. Your next question: What gender am I?

-Anarchy

L frowned, true he had been working under the assumption that Anarchy was a male he didn't feel confident risking well, lives, on that assumption.

Where am I playing for? Because he was always playing for somewhere, some country that needed to be bumped off the hit list.

Not where, what. If you get this right I will give you one of my rules, the ones I can't break.

-Anarchy

Rules. Anarchy had rules, probably the same as Kira. He couldn't pass this up.

Deal. L sincerely hoped he would be right.

* * *

><p>"<em>You're still talking to the detective. Aren't you worried he will manage to find you?"<em> Hel was floating on her back while watching Anna write.

"Actually, I'm counting on it." Anna grinned.

"_Care to explain?"_

"I need to leave. What better way than with a bang?" Anna pushed away the Death Note, focusing her attention on the Shinigami, who once again was lying with her living profile facing Anna. "You're vane aren't you? That's why you keep your living side facing me." Hel geared.

"_If you want to get my help with this plan of yours I would avoid insults."_ Anna winced at the tone.

"Right, sorry. I need you to look after the Death Note. So I would need to ask you for pages."

"_And this serves what purpose?"_

"Well, they won't find a murder weapon on my person? If I gave up ownership of the Note, would I lose my lovely new eyes?"

"_Yes, and if you wanted them again you would need to trade another half your lifespan. I don't recommend it."_ As Anna opened her mouth to reply (something along the lines of 'you love me really.') her computer dinged.

It was an email from YouTube, with a link to a message from Elliot.

Seventy four percent chance female. Anna laughed.

"_How did he get that from your conversations?"_

"He is very, very, very good." Anna said, typing out a reply.

Just for speed I'll give you a better rule than I would have. If I ever lose ownership of the weapon I lose all memory related to said weapon. I get them back if I regain ownership of one of the weapons.

-Anarchy

"I imagine that will mess with Kira's plans. Especially if Elly-Welly tells anyone." At the sound of a door unlocking Anna sighed. "Time to face awkwardness." Her mother, with a smile faker than plastic, walked in and sat on the bed.

Anna prepared for the worst.

"Hey honey, how was school?" Resting the urge to give a sarcastic reply Anna gave her own fake smile.

"Fine. I need some more stuff for art. Stuff with text."

"What kind of text?"

"Our suggestions were: Birth certificate, marriage certificate, and documents to do with where we've lived. I recon art is Turing into con-artist 101." Anna missed the look on her mother's face. Hel didn't.

"_She doesn't like the birth thing."_ Hel warned.

"I don't think that's a good idea hon." Her mother paused, forcing her smile a little wider. "I heard that you haven't been going to your sessions. Why is that? We're worried about you."

"I just needed a break. I'll go back when I'm ready mum." Anna lied. Her mother seemed to accept it; nodding with a relieved smile she left the room. The door staying open behind her.

"_So, what was with the avoiding of the paperwork thing? Do you think you were a kidnap baby?"_ Anna scrunched her eyebrows and looked at Hel.

"I don't think I'm a kidnap babe. But still, I don't think a bit of snooping could hurt. After all, I do _need_ those documents."

"_The way you justify steeling from your parents amazes me."_

* * *

><p>L was not happy, not even the strawberry cheese cake in front of him could make his mood lighten. He now knew that L had been Kira, with Anarchy's help, loath as he was to admit it. However the Task Force were now under the impression that Light had broken under the stress of solitary confinement, much like Misa had before him.<p>

But Anarchy's rule – Lose ownership of the weapon, lose your memories of the weapon – meant that they had both been Kira. But the resumed Kira killings meant L was, more or less, back to square one. The task force were muttering, the lingering effects of Anarchy's words drawing them in.

He needed to alleviate suspicions. The plane he had made _before _Anarchy's revelation would still be used. There was, after all, the chance she was lying, or that the rules only applied to her. Reaching over to the mic L sighed.

"Yagami-sun, I have a plan to prove Light-kun's innocents, along with Misa-san." The relieved male was hesitant about the plan, but agreed.

_I will need to keep Light-kun close if Yagami-san survives. I can't have my main suspect going anywhere without my knowledge. There is an eighty percent chance that what Anarchy says is true and regaining ownership of a weapon will return his memories. _

Checking on his exchange with Anarchy L's mood got worse.

Did you let Kira-face go or did you lose the weapon? My moneys on you loosing the weapon.

-Anarchy

There was no weapon on his person. L sent the message, wondering how long it would take. Time zones seemed to have no relation to when she answered; leading L to the decision that she too was an insomniac.

Oh, so Kira-face has brains too, who'd a thunk it.

-Anarchy

The answer told L more about Anarchy than the girl must have intended. It was a bread crumb trail leading him to her. Of cores there was still a thirty six percent chance she meant it. She was smart, L just needed to know _how_ smart.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, this didn't turn out at all how I thought it would. L is very odd here, and I really need to get more interaction with the rest of the taskforce. On the bright side we are nearing Anna's mess up, Mwahahaha.**

**-Shade**


	6. Chapter 6

Anna could tell Hel was disappointed by her plan, but really, what was the point of a mission imposable type thing when there was ten minutes between her parents leaving and Anna's own? There was one thing that this narrow time slot didn't allow, and that was time to look through 'Her File'. The place where every official, or official looking, document to do with her ended up eventually. Art was also the first class that day, so there was no time to look through it before hand. Instead Anna shoved the entire thing in her art case, resolving to photocopy what she decided to use.

"_Are you sure carrying around all that is a good idea?" _Hel asked as Anna left the house. _"And you aren't even going to look through it? What if it has embarrassing baby photos?"_

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." Anna answered. "Now stop talking, if I look like I'm talking to myself people will think I'm a crazy person."

"_No comment."_

* * *

><p>Contrary to popular belief, L didn't like being chained to his number one Kira suspect. He did not like being around people, he was not a people person. Being chained to Light-kun one hundred percent of the time was not his ides of fun.<p>

Thankfully Light-kun wasn't an insomniac, and therefore slept at least three hours a night. Three hours where L devoted his time to cheese cake and finding Anarchy. Ever since the first day L had spoken with Anarchy he connected the dots. Literally. Anarchy killed three people in three cities at a time; there were only so many shapes that could be made with three.

She was working in triangles. Each kill was in a city that, when connected with the other deaths, formed a triangle. And in the centre of each triangle was another city. It was simple what the message was: that she was in one of those cities. The real question was which one.

Based on Anarchy's first murders L was looking through the English speaking countries. When Anarchy solely targeted those in the public eye ninety percent of those killed were western stars, nine percent were well known in both, and only one percent were 'local talent', people known only on in their home country and Tumblr.

Anarchy was western, but there were too many cities to send a search team in each. L knew that Anarchy would eventually reveal her location, but he needed to find her before then. He needed her to walk into her own trap, not lead him in.

* * *

><p>Anna made it to the art room moments before the bell rang, with was lucky because Anna needed those four and a half minutes to convince Mrs. Fisher that 'yes she had finished the portraits.' And 'of course she would be listening to any advice that you give Miss.'<p>

Sitting the folder in front of her Anna took a moment to look over her friend's work, and once more cursed herself for sitting with people who were so good.

"If anyone gets paint on this stuff I will use their spine as dental floss, clear?"

"Sure." Jack said. "What is it anyway?"

"Any important, or important looking, document about me. They are the originals so they cannot. Get. Painted."

"Yeah, ok. I'm helping." Sarah laughed when Anna nodded.

"If you get in trouble, I'm not bailing you out." Anna warned before opening the folder.

They sorted through old school reports, certificate of achievement, and the ever present school photos. Once that was all out of the way they were left with the more fun stuff, Paddy Seal six meter dive certificate, guide dog sponsorship forms.

"Alice?" Anna quested.

"Alice?" Luke asked.

"Who the hell is Alice?" Sarah finished.

Anna flicked through some more paper. Her voice caught.

"I-I think that, I am." Anna – or was it Alice now? - pushed a handful of papers forward. Jack grabbed them, scanning them carefully.

"Adoption papers." He announced to the group and by extension the class who had decided that this was far more interesting than portraits thank you very much. "For one Alice, last name unknown. Signed Roger Ruvie, Ana Jackson, James Jackson."

"_Wow."_ Hel breathed. _"When I said you were a kidnap baby, I. Wow."_

"Anna? Anna, are you still with us?" Anna blinked hard at Laura.

"Alice." She said. "My name is Alice." Her friends looked at each other.

"Ok, Alice." Sarah said. "Are you ok?" they watched as the cloudy look vanished from her eyes, replaced with something her friends couldn't name.

"I'm fine." Alice answered. She seemed perfectly calm, unnaturally so. "I guess that answers the question of how a blonde and a brunette can have a black haired child."

"You have black hair?" Alice giggled, with a slightly hysterical edge, at the question, sliding a photo of herself in her first year of school toward Luke.

"Yep, stated dyeing it when I was in year four."

"You're taking this rather well." Laura watched her friend in concern. "Are you sure you're ok?"

"Yes Laura, I'm quite sure." Anna grinned at the girl, it was not a reassuring grin. A grin in this situation could never be. Just as her friends were about to resume questioning the bell rang, startling the entire class from their eavesdropping.

If Alice gathered her papers a bit faster than natural, no one commented. By the end of second period all of year eleven knew what had happened. By the end of the day there was not a student in the school who didn't know.

Alice's friend did what they could to shield her from the questions, but they were only in two of her classes. But no one's questions managed to get answered. Even the comments from those who got frustrated 'they gave you up because they knew what a weirdo you would be!' were received with the same smile Alice had been sporting all day.

"_Are you going to tell them?"_ Hel asked. The death incarnate had been oddly silent through the day, aside from muttered curses at those who got annoyed at Alice's lack of answers that is.

"Why wouldn't I? They had no right keeping something like this from me. They tell me to trust them, but they keep the fact that _I'm adopted_ from me?"

"_Don't say anything you'll regret."_ Hel advised the girl.

* * *

><p>The move to the new head quarters had gone better than L had expected. Even if he had less time to himself, Light adjusting to the odd hours, and therefore less time to work on the information that Anarchy had given him.<p>

How goes the hunt Eleanor?

-Anarchy

L had enough time to minimise the window before Light blinked into sleepy awareness.

"Ah, Ryuzaki. What time is it?"

"Three a.m. Light-kun. You might want to move your face, there is a sixty three percent chance you have a keyboard imprinted on your cheek." L hid his smirk as the still partially asleep boy lifted his face from the keyboard, changing the sixty three percent to one hundred percent.

Checking that Light was still rather out of it, L sent off a quick reply to Anarchy.

I'm narrowing it down

He had the feeling he was repeating himself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, who saw that coming? Oh, all of you? Ok then. Anna is going to be confronting the parentals next time, and then it should be a chapter or two before L catches her. Oh this is getting to the fun bits :D**

**-Shade**


	7. Chapter 7

Alice was sitting on the couch, birth certificate and adoption papers clutched tightly in her hands. She had been in this position ever since she had arrived home. Her parents were late. They weren't there for her. They lied to her. They tried to _drug_ her. They couldn't be trusted.

_They weren't her parents._

"Hey Anna. How was school?" Alice glared at her parents.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Alice's voice was quite, too quite.

"What was that honey?" Ana smiled –_Why are you smiling? _- "what's that in your hands? Did you get a bad report?"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Alice shouted, thronging the papers at her parents. "Why? Why would you keep something like this from me? You told me to trust you, to tell you _everything_ and you keep the fact that I'm _adopted_ from me? That you aren't my _real parents_, from me?" Alice's vision was blurring, and it took a minute to realise that she was crying. Ana and James exchanged looks, each encouraging the other to steep forward and take responsibility.

"Anna honey –" Ana stared.

"MY NAME IS ALICE" Alice shouted. "I am not Anna. I am not your daughter."

"_Not to play devils advocate."_ Hel said, living hand brushing Alice's hair in a calming gesture. _"But you should probably get them to explain before you storm off."_

"What happened to my actual parents?" Alice got grim satisfaction out of the pain filled winces of her adopters.

"We don't know." Ana looked at Alice, trying to match the angry girl in front of her with the baby she had held in her arms all those years ago. "Your biological mother died in child birth. There was no mention of your father. The hospital checked through her recodes and sent you to the same orphanage as your brother." Alice jumped in when Ana paused for breath.

"I have a brother?" Ana nodded.

"Yes. He was dumped, for lack of a better word, on the steps of the orphanage. No one ever came forward to claim him, and he didn't get adopted before we moved." Ana redirected the story. "After we adopted you we moved to New Zealand. Your biological mother's medical recodes gave her a history of mental illness. That's why we were so worried after the fire-"

"I DIDN'T START THE FIRE."

"I never said you did." Ana quickly cut in. "But that's why were started sending you to therapy sessions. Why we got so worried when you kept having the nightmares. Six year olds aren't meant to stop sleeping like that. We just wanted the best for you." Ana was crying. It hurt, to see her little girl pulling away like she was.

"I can't talk to you right now. You had no right, _no right_, to keep this from me." Alice left the living room, grabbing her wallet, and walked right out the door.

She left her phone on the table.

In hindsight, storing out of the house hadn't been Alice's best idea. Yes, she was relieved she had remembered her wallet, but there wasn't anywhere really to go.

Which is how she found herself on a train to the city, the rhythmic shaking of the carriage doing its best to calm her?

"_That could have gone better."_ Hel commented, causing Alice to smile dryly.

"You think so? I don't think it could have gone better if it was scripted."

"_Your da- James missed his que."_ Hel amended quickly.

"He was never much of an actor."

"_So, where are we going?"_

"It'll take about twenty minutes to get into the city; we can wander around and catch the last train back."

"_You're going for avoidance then?"_

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Alice and Hel spent the next half hour wandering through town. Alice had, again been overwhelmed by the shear amounts of, not only names, but death dates. Alice had the names down, but her morbid curiosity lead to her getting Hel to narrate their trip.

"_And that one, Alex Smith ,fifteen years, same as the guy next to him. Identical, almost, they probably die together. And then there's Lucy Morgan, dies in seventy__nine and a half years."_ Alice was nodding along, trying to keep up with Hel's rapid paced narrating.

"_Woah, check her out."_ Hel pointed at Vanessa Mars – 300. The woman had five minutes to live.

Alice and Hel followed her, at a distance, both curious as to what was going to cause a seemingly healthy woman to die. They got their answer as she turned down Taranaki Street. Neither Hel nor Alice had time to react as a speeding driver lost control of the car, swerving onto the foot path and strait into Vanessa.

Alice watched a moment longer, noting that the woman no longer had a life counter – just a name, before she turned and walked away.

"_Not what you were expecting?"_ Hel asked once the accident was gone from sight.

"There was more blood than I find attractive." Alice admitted. "But it was rather anticlimactic."

"_I'd hate to see what you call exciting."_ Hel grinned.

"You've seen that. I wouldn't resort to the fail safe heart attacks, I'd get inventive."

"_You are inventive."_

"Thanks for noticing."

When Alice arrived home, so late it was almost early, Ana and James were asleep. Alice curled up under the covers with a sigh.

"I wonder if I can last the weekend without killing them. Or myself. Mental note, confrontations should be done when I don't have to speed the next two days around whoever."

And for the first time that week, Alice slept

* * *

><p>L was annoyed. And bored. The task force had been reduced to investigating every heart attack once more. Light had gotten smart before giving up the weapon, which could be anything, and everything was playing into his hands. L was getting tired of goose chases.<p>

You've been absent for awhile. Not in the mood to play?

-Anarchy

L sighed.

I am waiting for the new Kira to show himself. Any ideas? There was a chance she knew after all. And then if she did, well, she had proved she wasn't above thronging others with the weapon under the bus.

Not yet. I'll know Kira when I see him though.

-Anarchy L gasped. Anarchy could tell who Kira was on sight. He could use that. He was seventy percent of the way to finding her; once he did he could offer a bargain. Help catch Kira, of see the death penalty. His information put it at an eighty two percent chance she would help.

* * *

><p>Alice pouted at the conversation she had finished with L. She had gotten bored of waiting for him to contact her, it was his turn after all, but it wasn't the distraction that she wanted. Glancing at her calendar Alice decided to mess with the minds of the general populace.<p>

It was after all, the first of September, the first of spring. And Anarchy hadn't made a video in so very long.

"Anarchy has a new video!" The cry when through the taskforce like a hot knife through butter. It was a sad day, L reflected, when the videos from serial killers got a positive reaction from a group of police.

"**~Spring is here, a-suh-puh-ring is here. Life is skittles and life is bear. I think the loveliest time of the year is the spring, don't you? Course you do.~**

**In honour of the first of spring I shall not kill anyone. I repeat, anyone, until Ostara. Sometime between the nineteenth and twenty third of September. That's right world, you will have up to twenty three days of fear free living.**

**Free from me anyway. Can't speak for the new Kira-face.**

**Toddles kiddies."**

L was in shock. Spring. It was just heading into autumn in Japan. Anarchy was in the southern hemisphere.

"Singing should not be done over the voice scramblers." Matsuda broke the silence. "And it isn't spring anyway, we're just going into autumn."

"Anarchy is in the southern hemisphere. But where..." Light trailed off and L found himself speaking up.

"New Zealand." L said. It fit, it finally fit. "Anarchy is in New Zealand."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: there we go, the inevitable confrontation. And a cliffy... that won't last long. I'm procrastinating essays with this.**

**-Shade**


	8. Chapter 8

L cursed mentally as the task force looked at him in shock, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

"New Zealand? Ryuzaki, how can you know? Anarchy could be anywhere." Mogi said. "For all we know he could have been lying."

"Anarchy wasn't lying. There is a ninety three percent chance of Anarchy being in New Zealand." When L didn't elaborate expectant eyes turned to Light. He was, after all, the best at decoding L's deductions.

"Ryuzaki, how do you know?" Light had put up with a lot of the detectives quirks. His sleeping schedule had been trashed; his diet now consisted predominantly of sugar, because Ryuzaki insisted on being chained together every moment. He would not accept that the great detective was keeping things from the case.

"Anarchy contacted me some time ago informing me that the way to find her was connecting the dots in local arias. So far the only location that doesn't fit her pattern is Australia. Logically that makes it an arrow, pointing at New Zealand. Therefore, ninety percent chance that she is in New Zealand."

"And a ten percent chance of Australia?" Light suggested. "This is good and all, but how can you know Anarchy was telling the truth?" But L was no longer listening, instead telling Watari to organise search parties for Anarchy in the aria between Nelson, Masterton and Blenheim.

"-Start in Wellington high schools and work your way out." He finished.

"How long have you been talking to Anarchy? Are you why the killings started becoming more sporadic?" When L didn't answer Light took it to mean 'a long time.' And 'Yes.'

* * *

><p>"<em>I think you should endeavour not to get angry."<em> Hel advised. _"Least you break your promise."_ Alice responded with a barely audible growl.

It seemed that suddenly changing your name, then giving a school of fifteen hundred two days to dwell on it, was not the best idea. It was made worse by the mere fact they were reading Lewis Carrols 'Alice in Wonderland' in English. It was only Tuesday, Alice didn't think she could stand the 'Wonderland' jokes anymore.

Teachers stumbled over her name, students whispered; it was more attention than Alice had ever been the focus of. In person, Anarchy got more.

She decided it was a good idea giving Hel the Death note to look after; otherwise most of the school would be dies in strange and unusual ways.

"Just ignore them Alice." Sarah rapped an arm around the girl. "There's only two more classes left today." With a wicked glint in her eye she finished. "And then I can drag you to the comic book store."

"Oh yes. Such a horrible punishment." Alice rolled her eyes. "Because it's not like I'd be going into town anyway."

"No chance."

At that moment a bell rang, a fire alarm. With the speed of students that figured it couldn't really be a fire. They weren't the only ones who were taking it slow. When they got to the top field they were meet by police. Sarah dragged Alice over two Laura, seeming to have decided that she would know what was going on.

"All I know is that L decided Anarchy was a Kiwi high school student." The frazzled girl replied. "I have had everyone ask me. I don't know anything else."

"Are all schools getting searched like this?" Luke asked, having managed to squeeze his way through the crowds.

"I Don't Know." Laura emphasised each word carefully. "L. Kiwi. High school. _That is all I know._"

"Okay, okay. Sorry." Laura sighed.

"I wonder what they're searching for."Alice mused. It was unlikely that L knew what the weapon was. And as the only incriminating thing she had it would be difficult to find in an invisible spirits protection.

There was a wine of feed back before a man's voice was heard.

"Attention students," the voice called. "If you male, please leave." Luke looked confused, but joined the rest of the boys in leaving. "If you are fifteen, sixteen, or seventeen, remain here. All others return to class." He waited while the year nines and thirteen's left. "If you are in possession of a personal YouTube account, remain here."

"I have one." Alice admitted. "You guys?" Sarah and Laura both shook their heads and joined the tides of students heading back to class, leaving her alone. From a school of fifteen hundred there now couldn't be more than three hundred left.

"_Why didn't you lie and leave? I doubt that they would check."_ Alice sighed.

"I don't cheat when I make the rules." She whispered. "If L wants to make his move he can."

"_So you will walk into a trap."_ Hel confirmed. At Alice's nod there was a quite sigh. _"You are far to confident."_ Alice shrugged and moved closer to the man with the megaphone.

"Ok girls," The remaining students glared at the man. "I'm going to play you a piece of a song. If you know who it is by, raise your hand."

"About a maid I'll sing a song

Sing rickety-tickety-tin

About a maid I'll sing a song

Who didn't have her family long

Not only did she do them wrong

She did ev'ryone of them in, them in

She did ev'ryone of them in"

Alice, along with others, raised her hand._ Clever boy,_ she thought, _getting me to rat myself out. Did you tell them I wouldn't lie?_

The man, whose face was covered enough that she had no idea what his name could be, picked up the megaphone once more.

"All those with your hand still down, return to class." Alice looked around as the large majority of people left. There were perhaps fifty students who had recognised the song by Tom Lehrer.

"Ok, one last thing." The man was reading off a list, probably devised by L. Alice wondered how many others had fit the criteria. "Are any of you insomniacs'?"

This time Alice was the only one to raise her hand. One of the officers escorted her to a police car. Alice decided that they weren't certain she was Anarchy. There had to be plenty of insomnia suffering, YouTube using, fifteen to seventeen year olds in Wellington.

"What will happen to me?" Alice asked the nice officer who was driving.

"If you are Anarchy you get sent to L. That's all we've been told. Don't worry." He smiled at her in the mirror. "No one's going to hurt you."

"_Unless you're, you know, you."_ Hel commented. _"Are you happy?"_ Alice nodded.

"That's good to know." Alice paused. She had the feeling she was forgetting something. _Oh no._ "Hey, Mister Officer, where's my bag? One of the other guys took it."

"It's being searched. Don't worry, everything will be returned in one peace."

"Ok, thanks." Alice smiled. She was an idiot. Her pen drive. Her pen drive with everything she had done since finding the Death Note saved on it. Her pen drive in her bag. Her pen drive in her bag that had just been handed to the police.

"_Pride comes before the fall."_ Hel commented. _"I told you, you were to confident."_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: that's what we call an 'Oh Shite' moment. Writing this is much more fun than essays.**


	9. Chapter 9

Alice's time at the police station went okay, for a while. She got to meet Laura's mum, who got her a hot chocolate and apologised for dragging her from school, and see various people sneak her lollies into the room she was left in. It was obvious what that meant, we don't believe that L is right and Anarchy is a teenage New Zealander.

It almost made her feel guilty. Which was odd, she hadn't felt bad about any of this before.

Alice knew they had found the pen drive when the officer from her school, Megaphone Man, returned to the interview room. He was holding a needle. A needle filled with a clear liquid. Alice panicked.

Unfortunately the handcuffs placed on Alice (kept lose because there's no way that Alice could be Anarchy) hindered her enough for the needle to sink into her arm.

After that things got fuzzy. She vaguely remembered stumbling away, pushing at Megaphone Man, and falling.

And then there was blackness. Just blackness. Even when she opened her eyes it was still unchanged black.

That's what made her panic. Alice had never been in absolute dark before. There was always some colour, some shading, some pinprick of light. There were stars, when it was cloudy there were street lights, there was the glare of her clock. There was always something.

"_Calm down. It's ok."_ Hel's voice came through the black. Alice's frenzied breathing calmed slightly. Hel was with her. Hel was real. It was ok. It would all be okay.

"_You were drugged. They kept you unconscious for about three days. You were on plane for most of it. I think you are being held by L but I haven't been able to check."_

Alice nodded, something quite hard to manage, strapped to the chair as she was. She could feel what felt like leather belts rapping around her. Her neck, wrists, legs, chest, and waist all bound to something cold and metal. It made her feel sick.

* * *

><p>L watched the computer screens intently. Anna Jackson, fifteen, was Anarchy. She had been found too fast. There was a sixty percent chance that she had been expecting it. Yet she had still fought against the FBI officer. The logical conclusion was that she had been expecting to be taken in but no further.<p>

His hand twitched, reaching toward the pocket that contained the girl's pen drive. That was the key to this. She hadn't expected it to be found.

"Are you sure that she is Anarchy, Ryuzaki?" Matsuda looked at the detective, worry all over his face. "It seems wrong taking a girl halfway around the world and keeping her tied up in the basement." Matsuda looked at the other members of the task force hopefully.

"Matsuda is right, Ryuzaki-kun." Light said quietly. "This is a bit worse than keeping Misa in the basement. Do you even have actual proof that she is Anarchy?" L let out a minuscule sigh. While he didn't want to let Light have more information for when he inevitably regained his memories – Light was smart, one hundred percent likely outcome – but there was a seventeen percent chance of the task force bringing this up every hour.

Reaching deep into his pocket, L ignored lollipops and other wrapped sweets and instead removed the cat pen drive.

"This is her confession. It has everything she has done with the weapon since the day she found it. There is a less than one percent chance that the wrong girl has been arrested." Before L could replace the cat in his pocket Light had snatched it from his hand, plugging it into the computer.

The only file on the pen drive was opened and a black page with white writing filled the page.

The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

If the cause of death is written within the next 40 seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen.

If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds

"Well. That answers that." Matsuda grinned briefly. "Er, doesn't it?"

"Does Kira have the same rules?"Light mused.

"We can ask, Light-kun." L responded. "Anarchy has been awake for the last ten minutes."

* * *

><p>Alice awoke from her daydream, really the only thing she could do, at the automated voice.<p>

"Anarchy." It was distorted and robotic. Elly-Welly then.

"Elly-Welly. Lovely to hear your distorted voice."

"What's your name?" Different way of asking a question, a different person. L didn't seem like someone to use contraction.

"Alice"

"Alice who?"

"_All questions this lot."_ Hel commented, Alice stifled laughter, it would not be good to laugh at nothing, especially while being questioned.

"404 error last name not found." She let herself smile then, too wide with just more than the necessary amount of teeth.

"Cute." Even distorted the voice implied it was anything but.

"I try." Alice exaggerated a yawn. "Can we speed this up? I'm missing my bed time." Hel was laughing somewhere to Alice's side.

"Why did you kill those people?" Alice cocked her head to the side, as much as the straps allowed anyway.

"Because I could and I was bored. Next?"

"_Don't get cocky. We all know how that ended."_

"You admit to being Anarchy?" She guessed the voice was shocked but the distortion removed the emotion from it.

"Yep. Never let it be said that I lie more than Kira-Face. And yes Elliot, that was a confirmation of my identify. Can I say how strange it is to be more honest than the law?"

"Don't you want to be let out?" The voice was rushed this time. Yet another person.

"Eh, I'd like it if the strap around my neck was loosened. It's hard to get to sleep. Any who, Eleanor knows my deal. Anything else?" When the voice was silent Alice sighed. "Fine, I didn't want to do this you know. And this is going to hurt me far more than you." She could imagine the task force tensing , waiting to see if one of their friends would drop dead.

"_What are you going to do? I need to have seen someone to kill them remember."_ Alice ignored the god.

"Nine hundred ninety nine bottles of beer on the wall. Nine hundred ninety nine bottles of beer. You take one down, you pass it around. Nine hundred ninety eight bottles of beer on the wall..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, that didn't go the way anyone but Alice thought it would. L refers to her as Anna because that is her legal name, a fight with parents does not a name change make.**

**Shade**


	10. Chapter 10

By the time, Anarchy, Anna, Alice, whatever she wanted to call herself, had gotten bored she had lost count five times. Each time she started again from nine hundred and ninety nine.

Which was why Light had muted the sound. L would have compiled if he wasn't as sick of hearing 'what number was I up to?' over and over as Light was.

L was biting his thumb, thinking over the way Anarchy had taken to the questioning. The Task Force hadn't seemed surprised by the answers she had given, they were frustrated but resigned. It was how they had expected Anarchy to act.

But that wasn't how she had acted when he contacted her. The public face of Anarchy was an insane serial killer without a plan, the one he had spoken to had a plan and the ghost of insanity. She was playing with them, no, she was giving them what they expected.

"I know that look." Light watched L carefully. "What are you planning Ryuzaki? Dot try and deny it, I've been chained to you long enough to know when you're planning something." L sighed. This was getting frustrating. Oh for the days he could do whatever he wanted and no one questioned it.

"Sh, Light-kun." He held a finger over the other boy's lips, ignoring the annoyed look that crossed his face. "I'm testing a theory."

* * *

><p>"Good morning Anar-" L was cut off swiftly.<p>

"Call me Alice or questions go unanswered. Or worse, I lie more than you." Alice turned her head in what she thought was the direction of the camera. "Is Kira-face watching you?"

"Yes, Light-kun is observing the interview. Where is the weapon, Alice?"

"L, the weapon is safe. Light Bulb, is being chained to 'the world's best detective' as annoying as I imagine?"

"_First Kira-face, Now Light Bulb? Is he energy efficient?"_ Hel mocked a sad voice. _"Do you not love me enough to give me a nickname?"_

"You are not questioning Light-kun." The distorted voice interrupted the technically non-existent conversation. "Where is it? Safe from whom?"

"Yes I am. And does it matter? To both questions."

"How can I know you're not going to harm anyone if I don't have the weapon?"

"Because if you don't have it then neither does Kira-face Light Bulb... what was the suffix..."

"San?" The voice offered.

"That's it. Thanks Alison. If you don't have it then Kira-face Light Bulb-san doesn't have it."

"I see. Could you please stop the bastardisation of my alias?"

"Would you prefer Elly-Welly?" Alice offered. The voice was silent. "Fine, be that way. What do I have to do to get out of here? Is there some kind of good behaviour plan? Do you have a Kira suspect? I can tell you if he or she is in possession of the weapon ." Alice sighed. "Please, I'm so bored. I'm going to start singing soon. Or telling stories. Or both. No one wants that."

"Maybe." L allowed.

"Oh no. No, don't say that. Everyone who ever said that meant no." When there was not response from L Alice sighed. "What do you call a dear with no eyes?"

"_What?"_ Alice smirked.

"No idea."

"_That's horrible."_

"What do you call a dear with no eyes and no legs?"

"_I'm going to regent this. What?"_

"Still no idea." Hel groaned. "What do you call a dear with no eyes, no legs, and a bleeding gash on its side?"

"_Go on then."_

"Still no bloody idea."

"_Okay. You will never repeat that joke in my presence again."_ Hel paused. _"In fact, let's just not have you do any more jokes from now on."_ Alice didn't answer, just smiled wider. _"I hate you sometimes."_

* * *

><p>"Ryuzaki, I think you broke her." Matsuda watched Anarchy as she sang bad songs, badly enough to make them even worse.<p>

"I think he's right." Light agreed. "Solitary isn't good for people. When they're blinded it's even worse."

"I'm so happy, I can barely breath. Puppy dogs and sugar frogs and kittens baby teeth... Arh feck, I forgot the words. A little help from the cheap seats?"

"If we let you out on conditions, would you accept?" L watched as the girl conserved, tilting her head to the side as much as the bindings allowed.

"Those aren't the words, I know that. Would one of those conditions be getting out of the semi-bondage? And actual food? There are only so many protein shakes a girl can drink."

"You would be brought into the headquarters. You would be given a room, and food. Also allowed to aid in the investigation when required." L ignored the outcry from the task force.

"Two things. One, am I allowed books and internet access? And two, what's the catch."

"I want the weapon."

"And how did I know you were going to say that?" The girl sighed, tilting her head to the side and thinking – or, listening? – for a moment. "I can arrange for you to see the Guardian – really, guardian? Eh, it'll do – and she can explain the rest. No one else though. And the weapon doesn't leave her position."

"You have to be completely honest." L was oblivious to the looks he was being given.

"When have I ever lied to you? Hm, Elliot? When have I ever told a lie? I'll help you, just stick to the conditions and stop with the creepy bondage. And yes, if you chain yourself to me I will void our spoken agreement and use everything I know about you to destroy your reputation. Oh, and if Light Bulb gets his memory back then pinkie promise I'll tell you." She waved her hand for effect.

"You can't do this Ryuzaki, she's insane. She'll kill us the first chance she gets."

"She isn't as insane as you think." To the elder Yagami's surprise it was his son who responded. "She seems to have decided that half truths get the desired effect more than lies."

"She's schizophrenic." L elaborated. "She places abnormal significance on trust. She sees lies as breaking that trust."

"So, she won't lie to us?" Mogi asked slowly.

"Not if we don't lie to her." L confirmed.

* * *

><p>"<em>So, how does it feel to be let free after fourteen days of blackness and protean shakes?"<em>

"Look at my smile, I'm so damn happy, people are jealous of me."

"_After this you can never sing that song, or the bottles of beer one."_

"I'll stop singing once I'm free." Alice promised.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hello, an fyi – Alice was caught on the 15****th****, woke up on the 18****th****, and it is now the second of October. Alice is talking funny because she doesn't want to be labelled with hallucinations.**

**Shade**


	11. Chapter 11

"I do hope you will excuse the continued presence of the blindfold, Miss Alice." The man guiding Alice through the halls sounded old. Old but not week.

"Oh no, I understand. I am a murder, however strange my weapon may have been. Security and all that."

"Then I find myself needing to ask, why do you disrespect L like you do?" Alice laughed slightly as she was steered around a corner.

"I respect him a great deal. Even more so now that Kira is about."

"Because he is standing against Kira?"

"Not really. A hero is only as good as his villain. Without Kira L would be a smart person solving crimes and getting so very bored. With Kira he is a genius. I can't workout weather he would have killed himself or just become self destructive, but it wouldn't have ended prettily without Kira."

"With Kira it may not 'end pretty' as you put it." Her guide didn't seem happy and Alice wondered if she had crossed an invisible line.

The walk continued in silence. Alice was sure they were walking in circles, but she couldn't ask Hel without looking crazy, and since the Shinigami wasn't talking to her – bad jokes and worse singing were not a good mix apparently – Alice couldn't tell.

"This is where I leave you Miss."

"I don't suppose I can take off the blindfold now? Or know who you are?"

"No Miss Alice, on both accounts. You can take the blindfold off when you reach the headquarters. You may call me Watrai however."

"Okay, thanks for not leading me into a wall." Alice waved to where she thought he would be as her new guide took her other arm.

"You are quite welcome Miss Alice."

"So, how'd they rope you in to looking after me then?" Alice asked, leaning slightly on her new guide.

"I drew the short straw." The young man's voice replied.

"Literally?" There was a long pause.

"Oh, I mean yes." Alice smiled.

"Forgot about the blindfold?"

"Yeah."

* * *

><p>L could feel the looks boring into the back of his head. Apparently the task force were not willing to believe that 1) his game of straws was not rigged, and 2) Matsuda would be perfectly safe.<p>

It was a less than one percent chance that Alice would do anything to Matsuda. They were too alike, and anyway, she wouldn't harm them without cause.

"Ryuzaki." Watari's W filled the screen. "I have handed Alice over. She should be there in fifteen minutes."

"Thank you." The screens switched back to normal and L turned to the task force. "Even if I were to have a sudden change of heart, Matsuda has taken charge now."

The ex-police were not happy. But there really was nothing they could do.

* * *

><p>Alice blinked back the light as her guide, now identified as Touta Matsuda, rejoined the Task Force.<p>

Kanzo Mogi, Soichiro Yagami, Light Yagami (Kira-face Light bulb-san! In the flesh!) and...

"Huh." And then, realising that there was no reason to single out one person. "I always wondered what I'd look like as a boy." At the stunned looks Alice assumed that they had been expecting something, more. "What? It's like looking into a flat-chested mirror."

Hel was laughing, apparently giving up her cold-shouldering . _"I wonder if 'Kira-face' Knows?"_

They introduced themselves with fake names, each one pausing before speaking as though they were trying to remember what it was. All that is until her boyish twin.

"You can call me Ryuzaki for the duration if the investigation." Call me, she thought, so not his he actual name. So what was it? All there was above his head was a life counter ticking down and a red blur.

"Okay then Ruru." Alice grinned.

"I would prefer you call me Ryuzaki." Her male doppelganger said.

"No, I think I'll call you Ruru." Alice grinned and he sighed.

"Why?"

"It means owl. I think it suits you."

"Fine." The detective seemed to want to pick his battles.

"Knew you'd see it my way. Now, did you want something?"

"To meet this 'Guardian.'" The newly dubbed Ruru answered.

"Fine, give me your hand. Don't worry, I won't bite." L held his hand out, palm out, in front of him. Smirking Alice held her hand over it while Hel brushed the Death Note between their hands.

* * *

><p>L did not like the look on Alice's face, not at all. He felt something like paper brush over his hand. And then looming over him was a, a thing.<p>

Half dead, half alive the 'Guardian' smiled at him. A truly gruesome sight when she? Only had half a face.

"_Hello mortal. What do you want with me?"_

L fell of the chair, dragging Light with him. He was aware of Alice laughing and the task force panicking.

"What are you?" Light looked concerned.

"L, there's nothing there." The other boy whispered, picking both himself and L up.

"_I am a death god. A Shinigami. The original owner of the Death Note."_

"Oh Hel, stop teasing the poor boy." Alice had managed to calm down enough to speak. "He'll never let us leave his sight otherwise."

"It's real?" L asked. Logically this wasn't possible Shinigami didn't exist. Beyond was delusional. His time at Whammy's had put too much pressure on his mind.

Ignoring the fact that the once successor didn't need to ask for a name.

"She. And yes, she's very real."

"Would the others be able to see her?" L ignored Lights hand on his head, supposedly checking for a temperature. He was not hallucinating, a shared hallucination was imposable.

"If you want them to, I mean aside from Kira-face there. I don't think you want him to risk remembering that he was meant to kill you."

"Stop accusing me of being Kira!" Light snapped.

"Light-Kun?" The boy was truly angry. Surly Alice hadn't gotten him to react so strongly?

"She continues to insist that I'm Kira-"

"No, I insist that you were Kira. And that is you touch a weapon and get your memories back there will be a ninety three percent chance you will continue what you were planning. Anything else or can I go."

"I will need to talk to you." L informed. "But I believe it would be best if you left. Matsuda will show you to your room. You will be locked in."

"That's a fire hazard." Alice grinned.

"_Do you want me to say here? I'm sure you have questions. Alice didn't really care." _Hel sighed like it was a personal attack.

"You poor thing." Alice rolled her eyes. "Do what you want. Ruru, call me if you need me." Alice followed Matsuda out while Hel remained behind.

"_So, why did you panic at the word Shinigami?"_ L wanted to swear.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So the first face to face meeting and Light snaps. Now, half my face is numbs and I am going to stop before I can actually feel the filling. Note: Eating dinner is hard when it hurts to open your mouth.**

**Shade-In-Pain**


	12. Chapter 12

Alice lay on her bed, her too soft bed, thinking about L.

_~"The hospital checked through her recodes and sent you to the same orphanage as your brother."~_

She had a brother, and really, how many people could look _that much_ like her? But how was she meant to find out? She couldn't just ask, he would lie. There was no doubt about that.

Maybe she could find the orphanage? Ask that Roger person who her brother was? But that would be as good as telling L all about her.

And on the subject of L, what was up with his name? No one had a name like that. Everyone had a name. People clung to names, used them to prove to themselves who they were. Alice was no exception.

Hel had explained it when Alice had actually seen her name change from Anna Jackson to Alice Unknown. Then name people used, believed in, gave power, that was the name the Death Note needed. You didn't need to be resisted with a government to be killed, the Shinigami were far older than any human government.

Did L's blur mean he didn't believe in his name?

Actually, that made sense. Dear Ruru probably changed names like, like, like something that changes a lot. If he saw names as temporary, as not him, not his, then maybe he was immune to the Death Note. Were there other's like that?

Alice wished Hel hadn't stayed with L. She was confused and her room was too white, hospital white. Would she get in trouble if she painted the walls? Probably.

_Hurry back Hel. I need your help._ Alice slide off the bed, it would swallow her up, and relocated herself to the couch. The black leather was far firmer than the bed and Alice curdled and tried to ignore her white-white-white-white-white-white surroundings.

* * *

><p>L's mind was filled with questions, some were about Alice but most were about Hel and the weapon that felt like paper and they were swimming and changing too fast for him to ask anything.<p>

How does it work?

Why does it work?

Have any come to earth before?

Can Shinigami die?

How was the second Kira killing with only a face?

Could you avoid the effects?

Could you destroy the weapon?

How did Alice get one?

How did Kira get one?

Were they given or picked up by chance?

Did Alice have the same rules as Kira?

"_If you want to ask any of the questions running through that supper brain of yours, now would be a good time."_ The Shinigami who called herself Hel seemed bored. _"Before I decide that the near comatose Alice on the screen there is more fun."_

"What are the rules. All the rules. How do humans get possession of one? Why do they work? How do they work?" L rested his chin on his knee. Calm, stay calm and don't be rash. Just because Alice wont lie doesn't mean Hel wont

"_Right. Well I don't know all the rules, just the ones that Alice or I have come across. But that takes a wiles and you want the complete set. I can tell you in a couple of days. Is that acceptable?"_ L ignored the sarcasm and nodded.

"_Right, settle in because this is gonna take a while. Once a Death Note touches the ground in the human world, or is picked up by someone in the human world, it belongs to the human world. The first person to touch it owns it."_

"Can they lose it?" Hel frowned.

"_I was getting to that. Should you be letting him sleep like that?"_ She gestured at Light who was sleeping with his face resting on the keyboard. L watched the Shinigami carefully. _"Fine. Yes it can be lent, given away, or lost. If it's leant to someone then you keep ownership and memorise. If you give it away then you lose memory until you touch one again. If you lose it you have four hundred and ninety days to get it back before your memory goes bye-bye."_ Hel grinned. _"There's no way to tell if that's the reason they lost their memories._

_They work by writing someone's name in the book while picturing their face, easy, simple. If you want extras you need to write it down within the time limit. Why they work, magic."_ At L's look Hel sighed._ "You're no fun. It's about the names. You humans need them, crave them. Without them you are nothing. That's why you can kill a human with one but not a Shinigami, I may call myself Hel – but it's only a proper none. It isn't important."_

"Go stop Alice from tearing her hair out." L watched the killer slowly lose it. "Every minute you spend here increase the chance of her causing damage to herself by five percent." L needed the death god to leave.

The Task Force had left once L started talking to air. Apparently they could deal with a killer using heart attacks to kill but not Shinigami. Or maybe it was the fact that they couldn't see it?

The idea that even a Shinigami didn't know all the rules was worrying. Maybe there was a master copy of all the rules he could look through.

Alice worried him. It was true that she looked almost identical to him. Surely Whammy would have told him if he had any siblings? Especially after Beyond. Although Whammy did oversee a lot of orphanages, maybe he had missed her? No. Whammy would notice her. So maybe it was a coincidence. Everyone had seven look-a-likes in the world; maybe L was just lucky enough to meet more of his. There was no definite answer, he needed more information.

And there was no chance that she wasn't an orphan; if the way she reacted to her actual name was a clue there was less than pleasant words there.

The girl getting comforted by a mostly invisible death god wouldn't be in any state for answers.

There was a gargling sound, Light had started snoring. It was disappointing and, more importantly, annoying.

"Light-kun. Wake up" He accompanied it with a pinch to the boys arm.

"Have you stopped talking to your imaginary friend?" Light cracked an eye open. "And: Ow."

"Hel is perfectly real." The sleep deprived boy snorted.

"That's what they all say." He yawned and massaged the key board from his cheek. "What is it?"

"If Alice can kill in ways other than heart attacks then why can't Kira? If the Yotsuba group is in contact with Kira..." L let Light draw his own conclusions. "I may need to call in some outside assistance."

"What ever you say Ryuzaki. Why this couldn't have waited unto the sun was up."

"You were snoring."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So I managed to finish the essay I was avoiding. Yay for not failing! But that killed my weekend... Updates are going to slow a bit this week. It's three weeks till the end of term so there are essays everywhere.**

**I don't like essays.**

**Shade**


	13. Chapter 13

Alice guessed it had been a few days since her replace. After her breakdown someone had left sum buckets of paint and brushes. While it was tempting to open the paint and chuck it on the walls, Hel had been the voice of reason. Several hours later the walls are all a deep red that gave no notion of asylums.

"_I spent my entire existence in a rotting world where human lives were entertainment, and yet this situation still bores me."_ Hel sat on the couch next to Alice, neither paying attention to the constant string of infomercials in Japanese. Hel could apparently understand any language, from what she had seen the team Catch Kira were at least fluent enough in English to be able to understand her. Even if Matsuda had looked lost as she prattled on.

"Oh you poor dear. However will you survive?" Hel was stopped from replying by a knocking on the door. "_Finally_" Alice sighed.

"Alice-san?" Matsuda called.

"Come in. I'd say it's open, but it's not."

"Ryuzaki wants you and, er, Hel to come with me."

"About time." Alice half skipped to the door, grinning broadly.

"Please don't annoy everyone Alice-san." Matsuda pleaded with the girl.

"I make no promises." Matsuda wanted to cry.

* * *

><p>L didn't look up when Alice arrived, Light tensed but seemed determined to ignore the 'Demonic Hell Spawn of Death and Fire. Insane Girl-child bent on the destruction of sanity.' To name a few of the names that appeared during the half hour rant.<p>

"Hey Ruru, how you been? Suffering from diabetes yet?" Alice leaned against the green/yellow bench next to him.

"I have a job for you." L pointed at the chair next to him. "You would be able to recognise Kira if you saw a photo." It was not a question, but Alice confirmed anyway.

"Most likely. Depends on the photo. Wh-" L looked up at the dawning look of horror on Anarchy's face. "Please don't tell me I have to look through photos of Kira."

"That would be lying. On that computer are photos, one of every member of Yotsuba. I require you to look through them all."

"Why?" Alice asked, moving from the table to the metal seat in front of the laptop computer.

"Kira is adding Yotsuba. It is ninety percent likely that Kira is either one of them, or related to one of them. If you look through all the photos and do not find Kira I will move you to friends and family."

"Oh, this will be fun." L figured it was sarcasm but didn't really care.

"Shut up and do your job." Light broke his silent treatment of Alice to snap.

"Ok, fine. Gees Light Bulb, take a chill pill." Alice opened the first picture. "No" Arrow key. "Nope." Arrow key. "No." Arrow key.

L resisted the urge to slam his head into the keyboard. This was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

><p>Alice wasn't sure how many people worked at Yotsuba, but she wished they decided to ditch a few hundred of them. It was getting dull just flicking through pictures of faces to see if they had a life span. Every time one didn't, and there were a couple, she added it to the list of 'People to check'. She didn't actually think any of those people were Kira, her encounter with Vanessa she stopped taking a lack of life counter as evidence of ownership. They could have just died.<p>

When she mentioned this out loud the reaction was less than pleasant. Apparently one of the date-less she had killed. How was she meant to remember something like that? It's not like she paid any attention to them, and how did they remember anyway?

At some point around midday Alice yelped. Rubbing the burning spot on the side of her head.

"Ow, what the-" Alice trained off at the sight of L putting her hair in a bag. Her hair, in a bag. "Ok, we have entered an entirely new realm of creepy." When L seemed determined not to explain Alice sighed. She wished she hadn't allowed L to see Hel, the Shinigami would have been useful around now. Still, Alice shrugged it off. It couldn't be too bad, right?

After flicking through photo's saying no or maybe in various languages, even sign language once, Matsuda escorted her back to her room.

"Why are we leaving?" Alice rubbed her eye. He vision had started blurring from steering at the screen.

"Because Ryuzaki said you had to leave. Light was starting to look..."

"Homicidal?"

"_You would be familiar with that wouldn't you?"_

"Yeah." Matsuda rubbed his head as they reached Alice's door. "Hey, Alice-san?"

"Hm?"

"Why did you kill those people?" Alice froze.

"I suppose, at first it was because they annoyed me and I could. I was so very bored. And then they got boring too so I decided to... expand my horizons."

"But they were people. Humans, with family's and people who loved them."

"They were insignificant. They were meaningless."

"You're a monster." Matsuda's voice was barely a whisper.

"So is Kira, but I don't pretend to be something I'm not."

* * *

><p>L could feel Lights eyes on him. The fallout from Alice's revelation that she didn't remember her victims names had impacted rather strongly.<p>

"Ryuzaki, why do you let her stay? She's a liability. She has no care for human life and you let her help with this investigation? She has our faces and our names. She could kill us!"

"But she won't. There is a less than five percent chance of Alice killing us and it lessens when we treat her like a member of the task force."

"Like a-? Ryuzaki, she practically admitted to not feeling any remorse."

"And she is the only one who can identify Kira without having to find the Note. I understand your feelings Light-kun, but we need her."

"Are you sure it's not just because she looks like you? Is she your sister Ryuzaki? Is that why you released her?"

"I have no idea of possible relations between Alice and I. As far as I am aware I have no siblings."

"So the hair?"

"DNA test. Watari will deliver the results in a week."

* * *

><p>Alice's life had become monotonous. She was charged with the joyous duty of flicking through the three hundred and something thousand Yotsuba employees. It was her second day and her list had five names on it, one of which had been crossed off since he was apparently her victim.<p>

After the hair snatching incident she had relocated to the green couches by the stairs. She was bored and flicking through photos like she was didn't help. There was a small sound that caused Alice to look up into two smirking faces. The man - Thierry Morrello – held a finger to his lips in the universal singe of shush, the woman was wearing sun glasses but eventually Mary Kenwood floated above her head.

"Ryuzaki, what can I do to make myself useful? Aside from being Misa's manager?" Matsuda was exceptionally loud.

"You want to be useful?"

"Yes."

"Then can you get me more coffee please?"

"Whaaaa?" Alice shook her head slightly. Ruru really was mean to Matsuda, although she was yet to meet 'Misa' maybe she was Mary Kenwood? The woman in front of her certainly looked like a model.

"And our guests over here too." Ruru added with a lazy gesture to the couches. Thierry gave a lazy greeting.

"Who are they? How did they get in here?"

"I could answer, but I doubt that Ruru nor our, eh, guests want me shouting out their real names." Turing to Mary she added. "The sunglasses were a good trick, but even they don't help if you look someone in the eye."

"Please refrain from doing so Alice. They are our new members." With an odd look in her direction the new members stood to introduce themselves.

"I'm Abier, a con artist. Nice to meet you."

"Wedy. I'm a thief."

"A con artist and a thief?" Yagami Sr exclaimed. At that point Alice tuned out. The skills of the duo didn't matter to her, however the exclamations of shock that they would be working with criminals drew a comment.

"You work with me." Alice cut in. "And I haven't exactly hidden the fact that I'm Anarchy. I'm Alice; by the way, I'm here to help catch Mr. God Complex."

"You're Anarchy?" The disbelief was evident in Abier's voice.

"Yep. Now I still have shite lodes of photos to flick through. Do these even have an order?" She had mumbled the last part to herself but dearest darling Ruru had overheard.

"Time spent employed by the company."

"Eh?"

"That's the way their ordered Alice."

"A- Actually that makes sense. Especially as to why the dead people has lessened off."

"What?" Alice sighed deeply.

"If someone is the owner of the weapon, a black note book about this big," Alice gestured to the laptop. "Then the counter for how long they have left to live vanishes. Because I can see people's real names and their life spans I can tell who Kira is."

"_Were you intending to tell L about the deal?"_ Hel whispered. _"Because you kinda just did."_

"Right, you didn't know about that... Opps?"

"You know my name?" Alice couldn't identify the tone in L's voice.

"No. There's just a blur and a very jumpy counter. Promise."

"I don't believe you."

"I haven't lied." Alice countered.

"Alice-san." Matsuda tried to cut in.

"You with held information." L ignored the young ex-police officer.

"So did you. I tell when you do L. I'm not just going to follow you blindly. I know what's going to happen to me, I really don't care about anything before that."

"_Alice."_

"I'll start telling you things when you practice the trust you preach to everyone else."

"You are a murder."

"Glade you noticed. Is it just me or have we talked about this before? I'm not denying what I've done but I refuse to be blamed for everything that goes wrong."

"_Alice calm down."_ Hel continued to be ignored by the arguing duo.

"I have told you everything you asked. I convinced Hel to answer everything you asked. If you are angry with me because your pride doesn't let you ask those more knowledgeable about something _of which you have no knowledge_ then you will never catch Kira. Grow up and start asking what you want to know."

The silence that followed Alice's closing statement was defining. With a final glare in L's direction she returned to flicking through photos.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the long wait. That essay I was mentioning? Had to finish it, and English, and my drama portfolio, and my art one. In fact the only class I didn't have any homework in is Fashion and Design, but that is countered by the fact that if I want to finish my project I need to work lunch time.**

**I dislike NCEA.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chappie. It was quite fun writing L and Alice arguing.**

**-Shade**


	14. Chapter 14

_When Alice was six her farther smoked. Not often, but every once in a while she would see him outside with a glowing cigarette in his mouth. The glow fascinated her._

_And then she found out about lighters. Having never lived in a house with a fire, nor been camping somewhere that required campfires or gas cooking, Alice had never seen what a lighter could do. To her six year old mind it was magic._

_So early one morning she snuck out of the house and found the lighter in the garden gnome just off the back path. With a happy smile she pushed down the red button._

_Nothing happened._

_That wasn't fare. That wasn't how it was supposed to work. Her Daddy could make the fire happen so why couldn't she? With a frown Alice tried pushing the button again, this time her thumb caught on the wheal. The lighter sparked orange causing Alice to drop it, but that was all._

_The third time Alice used both her thumbs to spin the dial, holing the button down with all her strength. It worked; she had made the magic fire appear._

_It was so much prettier than she thought it would be. The way it moved in the wind. It was just her and the magic lighter._

"_Anna, breakfast." Her Mum's voice broke the trance and Alice dropped the lighter in shock. The flame vanished and the six year old took it back inside, slipping it into her bag._

_It was pretty, she wanted to take it to show and tell._

_When her mother sent her off with a kiss to the forehead and a wave at the school gates Alice was excited. She could show everyone the pretty magic._

_Show and tell was ignored in favour of a junior school assembly. The lighter stayed in Alice's bag until lunch time when she dug it out alongside her lunch box. She would show her friends once the teacher had let them go, when they were playing family by the sandpit._

_She was sitting on the bench waiting for her friends to arrive; they were in a separate class this year, when the year six boys surrounded her._

"_What you got there?"_

"_It's mine. It's magic." One of the boys grabbed her arm, yanking it painfully, and taking the lighter._

"_Not now it isn't. Now it's ours." And they walked off with their prize, leaving Alice crying. By the end of lunch Alice had forgotten that she had wanted to show her friends the magic lighter._

_The screaming started in her class. They were right next to the library and the first to smell the smoke. It was chaos as the teacher tried to calm her students and get them outside. The fire spreads fast and suddenly they can hear the screams, there were people in the library. And it was hot, so hot, a burnt meat smell was buried in the smoke as the teacher finally managed to get the fire door open. The class races for the door but Alice trips as the fire reaches the class room. The smoke is escaping out the door as Alice struggles to see through the smoke. Her eyes are stinging and she's crying as she crawls out of the door. The teacher carries her away from the class and delivers her to the ambulance._

_The school is closed for three weeks. Alice is in hospital for two of them, smoke inhalation and second degree burns. When she finds out what happened Alice respected the fire even more – it made her bullies go away._

_It didn't stop the nightmares though. She was afraid to sleep because she would see the fire again but it would be worse, she would be in the library, or her friends would._

_A few years later Alice understood what the fire had really done, and by extension what she had done. She was the reason the boys had died. They had been playing with the lighter in the corner of the library when the books had caught. None of the three had survived._

_Alice never told anyone about her role in the fire. Not her teachers, not the fire department, not her parents, not the police, not the therapist(s). No one could know what she did. Because as mean as those boys were, they were just kids and so was she._

_No one knew about her brining the lighter to school, and it would stay that way._

Alice woke up with a start. There was a ringing in her ears that reminded her painfully of the screaming, and roar of the fire. Wherever she looked her eyes ghosted with the images of the burnt school. She felt sick and was suddenly glad to have not eaten – she would have thrown it up.

"Nightmares?" Alice nodded slightly, wiping beads of cold sweat from her forehead

"You look rather pale."

"I'm fine." The feeling of eyes on her faded and she turned back to her laptop. She was fine, she would deal with it. The nausea was dying down and the lingering effects were easing.

She wondered what they thought it had been. But really did it matter? She knew how games like these ended. When people played with fire, the fire played back. Then people got burnt.

There was suspicion in the air she knew what she had gotten into. She would pay the price, but first she would find Kira. It didn't matter what happened after that, just do as long as Kira was caught. Because then she would have watched one of the biggest chess games ever play out.

_I wonder where my brother is? Is it worth telling L? Or does he already know?_

Alice got her first look at Amine Misa when the girl left with Matsuda for some film shoot. Why she hadn't seen the model before she had no idea but she was blond and stick thin. The two of them left and Alice found herself wounding why they were keeping 'Misa-Misa' in the head quotes. She was a model after all, wasn't she meant to be living somewhere that wasn't protected by gods know how much security? Somewhere that she wasn't on cameras twenty four seven? Because that little fact was creepy.

The last of the pictures had been finished and Alice's list consisted of exactly seven people. She was about to about the finishing to the group when her laptop switched from the last photo to a gothic W. All the screens in the room had changed.

"Ryuzaki."

"What is it?"

"There is a message for a detective named Eraldo Coil, it says 'I want to know who L is.'"

"Eraldo Coil is one of the deceives helping L. Who sent it?"

Alice wanted to go over and look; if it was someone who worked for Yotsuba she would recognise them. But then Watari had been working for L for as long as L was L, she wouldn't be able to add anything.

"The message came from Kida Masahiko, head of a department of the Yotsuba group." Kida, Kida, was that the one who looked like an aristocrat?

"I knew it, so it's Yotsuba!" What a second, if they weren't sure it was Yotsuba why have her look through all the photos? Well it did make more sense once she thought it over; they had to check to be sure and all that.

"A big company, like Yotsuba is, will try to get L's name and kill him."

"Except L doesn't have a name." Alice called. "So all they could feasibly get is a legal identity, and even then it's probably under more security than this place."

"We really need to watch out for him." Was Yagami ignoring her? Was he talking about L or Coil? If it was L then maybe they should put him into a high security building and move in there too.

Wait... yep, they had done that already.

"It's fine, the detective Eraldo Coil is none other than me." Ruru was muffled by whatever he was eating. "Currently the three biggest detectives in the world; L, Coil, and Danuve, are all me. So anyone who tries to find me with them will have a problem, since I will see who hired me. Please take this away." L handed something to Mogi who left to dispose of whatever it was.

"As expected Ryuzaki." Light chimed in. Did that guy always have to have the last word?

"For what it's worth he isn't on my list. He could still have the Note of course, but it doesn't belong to him so he can't have my epic eye sight.

"Explain."

"Shinigami follow the owner. If you aren't the owner you can still use the weapon but you don't get a nifty stalker." Seeking of which, she hadn't seen Hel since the argument. What if Hel had left and abandoned her? Would she keep her eyes for four hundred and ninety days until ownership was stolen?

"So Kira could give the Note to someone else?" Light was being civil, scary.

"Sure, but if he did then he would be giving away his power. It would make more sense to either give them some pages, or to keep the Note and have them contact him with who to kill. This is assuming that he isn't part of Yotsuba." There was something uncomfortable pressing into Alice's back that wasn't going away. She stood, planning on checking the couch for wonky springs, and there was a sound of paper crumpling. The black notebook stood stark against the green couch. Alice hadn't seen it since handing it off to Hel, but here it was with no Hel. Thinking only that she _didn't want anyone to touch it_ Alice sat on it.

"Alright, this way we can get them. Leave it to us." Apparently Alice momentarily freaking out had been passed over in favour of working out the plan for proving Yotsuba's involvement.

"Alright, and I should tap into the cameras and other systems of Tokyo's main building." So Wedy could hack, was that a requirement of being a thief?

"Yes, our enemy is the Yotsuba group, but also Kira. First we need to find out who Kira is and who are the people helping him. We can't ever let them know out that we are onto them. If they do, the chance that we find Kira is gone. Alice, I want your finished list."

"Uh, yeah, sure." _Where did Hel go that she couldn't take the Death Note?_

"Then don't make a move other than our plan for now –"Whatever L was going to say was interrupted by Watari.

"Ryuzaki."

"What is it Watari?"

"Matsuda-san has sent out a distress signal."

"Distress signal?" They had distress signals? Really?

"Belt's" Light was less than helpful.

"From where?" L was sounding decidedly unimpressed.

"Well, you see it appears to be in the Yotsuba main office."

"What?" Apparently no one had expected that.

"What were you saying about not letting Kira know we were onto Yotsuba?" Alice asked no one.

"Forget about the plan we just made, we need to re-think this. Matsuda, idiot."

"He is a special kind of skilled." Alice mumbled to herself, but it was unfair how he got treated.

L had a phone. Alice had no idea whose phone it was but it looked like her mu-Ana's old one; a silver flip top that fitted in with the whole silver/gray and green colour scheme.

"Hey Matsu, it's me Asabi, it's been a long time" L held the phone to his ear like he expected it to bite him. "It doesn't seem like you're at home, are you okay?" He paused, "Are you alone?" he paused again for Matsuda's answer before moving the phone away. "He is not with Misa, he's alone." And back went the phone.

"Wanna go out?" Pause. "Why not? Do you have some problems with money?" Moving the phone away again L told the class: "Masuda seems to be in problems." And he returned to the phone. "I see. Well, maybe some other time then, bye." He flicked the phone shut with a snap. "Light-kun, call Misa and see if she has finished shooting.

"Mm." Light hit a button and held his phone up to his ear. "It's no good; it seems she's still working so her phone is turned off."

"What shall we do, Ryuzaki?"

"If Matsuda dies now we have proof against the company."L didn't just say that? Was she a bad influence? Was he always this blasé about people's lives or was it a new development? "So let us wait for now." That didn't seem to be the answer that they wanted.

Alice examined the fabric of the couch. She was hyper aware that she was sitting on the weapon. And that if L was right, and he probably was, that Light would be getting his memories back if he touched it. It had been safe with Hel; she wasn't tempted to use it, and the only way that you could get it was if you could see Hel, which you could only do if you touched the Note.

But now she was sitting on a key to her freedom, literally. She could kill the task force and leave. With only L able to look for her she would be fine. She didn't want to kill the taskforce though. There was something about the random group of individuals that made her pause. Was she getting a conscience? She hadn't cared before, so why should she care now?

_Please come back Hel._

Lights phone rang, cutting through the silence.

"Misa." Some kind of high pitched sound echoed through the room. How loud was that girl? "Misa, Matsuda-san isn't there right?" he paused, this time there was no squealing. "Matsuda-san is calling Misa."

"Try to listen in to what they are saying." Light nodded.

What followed was a conversation between two terrifyingly happy people. Really, if you could pocket their personalities you'd make a fortune. Or start several wars.

L grabbed Light's sleeve. "Listen, this is out only chance to save Matsuda. She listens to you, so please let her do it."

Somehow, and Alice really had no idea how, Misa managed to organise a party on one of the upper floors.

"Ah, Misa-san is pretty good at this." With a sense of finality Alice pushed the Note under the couch.

"Who's in there? The picture isn't clear enough for me to see names."

"Decided to join us Alice?"

Ruru picked up a ringing phone before Alice got the chance to retort.

"Ryuzaki, are you watching?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry I..."

" That doesn't matter now." _Right and you spent all that time planning for nothing._

"Right. Those eight were in a meeting about murder, by using Kira. It's them, I know it for sure."

"You're sure, right? But I'm sure that they will try to kill you."

"Ah, I knew it, is there a way to get away from here alive?"

"If Kira isn't in the room yes." Alice cut in. "And if he is then if he hasn't made the trade then you should be fine."

"Alice is correct. We are lucky that you are still alive. The thing you have to do is die before getting killed."

"Huh?"

"Make sure Kira can't see his face afterwards, his life span will give him away." Alice wanted to run back to the couch and hug the Note to her chest. Why wasn't she writing down names? If she timed it right she could blame it all on Kira.

"Ok, listen carefully now. You are going to jump of the balcony wait for my signal. Yagami-san and Mogi-san will catch you. Abier will take your place as dead. Light-kun, Wedy, and I will operate the ambulance."

"What? That's nonsense."

"You will follow the plan Matsuda, unless you want to be killed by Kira." L ended the call.

"And what will I be doing?" Alice asked. "After all, I don't think you trust me outside yet. Or at all."

"Matsuda may require some help with the distraction." Alice's eyes widened.

"Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no. I am not going up there."

"You said you needed a better picture of the Yotsuba group. When everyone is in place this will ring once." He tossed the silver phone at Alice. "Yagami-san will take you. Oh, and Alice, Matsuda is going under the name Taro Matsui."

Alice's eyes lingered on the couch as she left. She wanted to know where Hel was. She didn't want to die before Hel killed her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the wait! I got sucked into the internet. Really, I was trapped in the world of Nerdfightira. But look, an extra-long chapter and flash back in the form of a dream because I'm cliché and couldn't come up with better. Also, I didn't mention this last chapter but, Abier and Wedy are two of my favourite characters, there shall be more of them. **

**And I'm sorry I left it there but I have an English thing that I've been putting off because it's evil. Also my little cousin (nine) jumped over a slide and broke her arm in such a way that she was in surgery for a few hours.**

**The fire was inspired by the fact that my first primary school had its playground burn down while I went there. I went there for about three months, it was a small window of time.**

**All that aside, the party will happen next chapter in proper. I knida bluffed L's explaining since we don't hear it but Alice would have to. It was scary.**

**Shade**


	15. Chapter 15

The party was filled with stick thin girls in short, skin tight clothing. If what the girls were wearing covered enough to be called clothing, who in their right mind wore a top with a heart cut out on the cleavage, relay there was no redeeming models. Alice was feeling out of place from the moment she stepped into the room in black jeans and t-shirt – decent, normal person cloths. And wasn't that a joke – but she was Anarchy, and she could be again if things went right.

Finding Kira would help with all that. Because she wanted to find her brother. Because she didn't want to lose. Because Hel was her friend, no matter where the goddess might have gone.

So sticking out was good. She was Anarchy, she was chaos. She didn't have to adhere to social niceties. Maybe this little party could be fun.

Alice managed to convince herself of that fact until the third model gave her a look like she had crawled out of a hole. Maybe this party could be _fun _instead; L wouldn't be paying that close attention. Especially if he wanted Matsuda to get out alive. Really, wasn't L under the impression that Light Bulb had been Kira? Surly that meant he would give the Death Note to an idiot. But lets not get logic involved.

Spotting Matsuda re-entering the room Alice grabbed a couple of drinks, giving him one. If this was going to happen Alice needed a justifiable reason for her actions. This was not going to be fun

"Eh? Oh, hi Anna." Alice schooled her features at her old name. "Are you sure I should drink this?" Matsuda looked at the amber liquid in worry.

"Don't drink all of it, but you're going to need to smell of alcohol." Alice would too, if her plan was going to work. She took a sip and cringed, it tasted of alcohol. Not surprising but the rotten taste was something Alice would never like. "Here's the phone. When it rings everyone's where they need to be."

"I'm nervous." Matsuda admitted.

"I would be. They were scraping the bottom of the barrel for help - after all _I_ got dragged into this." With that Alice turned to play nice with some of the models. The English speaking models, she did need to look into learning Japanese.

A _charming_ duo of models dragged her into conversation with a "Those jeans really show off your curves, I could never wear something like that." Alice put on a sickly sweet smile, stuck up stick insects.

"Oh, thanks. I could never wear what you two do. I mean, you look liked you'd blow away in a gust of wind."

"Thanks!" Model number two smirked. "It takes a lot of effort to be healthy."

"So you decided to go for starved instead? Would you like some food, or did you eat a mint and waist your three calories for the month." Alice smirked. "Lovely talking to you Satou-san, Itou-san." Alice turned her back on the shocked models. She really loved her eyes.

_Aha, hello Miser No Death._ Alice hoped L would put of the suicide thing until she managed to talk to Kyosuke Higuchi. An Icy Glare of Death (tm) sent the models closest to him scampering. The look was admittedly more effective when the person glaring was mostly dead, but it did the trick. The look Kyosuke sent in her direction after the disappearance of his models was nothing in comparison.

Alice sat next to him, on arm wrapped around his shoulders, the other lightly gripping his wrist. Logically there was little to fear from the man's Shinigami as that would give him away.

"Having a good time, Kira?" Alice whispered into his ear so softly it was more of a breath.

"I'm not Kira." Alice smirked.

"I have the eyes Kyosuke. And someone's missing a death date." Kyosuke made a half-gasp, attempting to smother it before he had fully made the sound.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Alice smirked at the whispered agitation. Poor Kira number three didn't like not being the boss.

"I think you'd know me best as Anarchy. And I need a favour."

"What's in it for me?"

"Aside from not dying? You get to pull the wool over L's eyes."

"I'm listening."

"I need you to become me. The YouTube account has everything you'll need. Don't mess up," She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, slipping the details into his pocket. "I'd hate to have to kill you."

Alice stood swiftly and resisted the urge to wipe her mouth. What was good for her reputation was really, _really_ bad for her taste buds. Kyosuke tasted of after shave and alcohol. Okay, maybe the alcohol wasn't entirely his fault. That didn't remove the desire to rinse her mouth with bleach - that was only a little poisonous, right?

"Hey everybody! Watch this!"Matsuda stumbled toward the balcony, balancing on the railing. He stood up and walked up and down it a few times, ginning widely. Then he got ambitious with a handstand. He was fine for a moment, but the shocked look on his face as he tumbled couldn't actually be faked. Especially if you were as bad an actor as Matsuda seemed to be.

There was a mad rush to the door as everyone had the same idea – get the hell out of here. The sound of sirens drifted up, a check proved that L had managed to get an actual ambulance. Wonders would never cease.

Chasing after the crowd Alice caught up to Kyosuke.

"One more thing, L is _mine." _The gleam in her eye must have done something, because there wasn't even a token protest. It would not do for some temporary help discovering L's namelessness. Especially someone who could pay to remove a problem.

But that was ok. Everything would be ok; all she needed to do was sleep. That would make everything better.

Alice curled up on the green couch. She wanted her room, even the super soft bed would be better than a couch. Eyes drifted shut as her headache got worse.

"_You silly little girl."_ Drifted in her direction and Alice smiled.

"Hel." And then she was asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I am really sorry for leaving this here, but there is at lot of stuff that needs to happen after Alice wakes up, and it didn't flow with this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be longer. **

**Actually, it would be hard for it not to be. **

**Shade**

**P.S. did you know it's insulting to call someone by their first name without permission in Japan?**


	16. Chapter 16

The headache Alice had when she woke up was not helped by the voices around her. Her mood was not helped by the consistent poking of her cheek. Why was her brain trying to kill her? And why was someone poking her?

"Alice, you have thirty seconds to wake up." The voice was not shouted, but spoken loud enough and close enough that the dull throbbing behind her eyes sharpened and increased pace.

Ten seconds passed and the poking resumed. Twenty seconds, maybe they would leave her alone? No, she had forgotten just who she was with.

Twenty five seconds after the threat, Alice's eyes opened. She glared weekly, her head hurt damn it, in what she hoped was L's direction. Her memories were fuzzy, but the bad taste in her mouth warned her that she hadn't been thinking strait. But then, in order to get that nasty taste she mustn't have been thinking strait in the first place.

"Open eyes doesn't mean you've woken up."

"Shhh Light, don't talk so much. You might hurt yourself." Alice stopped glaring, turning her attention instead to the glass of water with a slowly dissolving white pill sitting on the bottom. It set her on edge, obviously if L or Light hadn't wanted her to see it she wouldn't. It said quit clearly "We can drug you. No one would care. No one would notice. You wouldn't notice".

Her head was hurting and her mind was running through things far too slowly for her and everything was just slightly disconnected and she would not drink that drink.

"It's a pain killer." And she should trust L because otherwise their little game crumbles and falls unable to continue. And if that happens then she too falls and is locked away somewhere far, far, far away.

"I won't drink it." Alice locked eyes with L, they both know what that means. The silent conversation is unappreciated by anyone else, possibly they don't know that their continued existence could rely on the result of the exchange.

It didn't, yet.

"_For the record, it is a pain killer."_ Hel. Hel was actually back, it wasn't her imagination. It wasn't some drunken hallucination from whatever horrible idea crossed her mind, and however small portion of alcohol had made it seem like a good, or even halfway decent idea.

"You were drinking, you could have ruined everything. You could have killed Matsuda."

"I stopped Matsuda from getting killed. Or did you think I was throwing myself all over one of the Yotsuba members for nothing? He is the loudest, nastiest, and easiest to threaten of the lot."

"What did you do?" Light's voice was filled with a mix of anger and worry, probably because he had everything nicely planned out without her involvement.

"I said that Anarchy wanted to get in contact with Kira. I think." The level of noise in the room, low though it was, was making her headache worse.

"You _think_?"

"I don't drink. I have a low, low, _low_ tolerance for alcohol. So my recollection of last night is a bit fuzzy."

"That's you're excuse?"

"Matsuda is alive. I don't see your problem. Can someone take me to my room now?"

"Take you?" Wedy asks.

"I can't get into my room without a key code and, ID card? Something like anyway." Wedy raises an eyebrow, possibly taking it as a challenge, possibly deciding that she should get her affairs in order.

"I'll take you." Abier offered in the silence.

"Are you sure you won't take over the role of Misa's manager?" Eh? Was this something that had been organised while she was asleep?

"Quite sure, Ryuzaki. I have a project that will be taking up my time. If it's ok, I will be using Alice as a collaborator on this."

"I trust you. In that case, Mogi-san shall be Misa's manager."

The conversation faded as Alice lead Abier to her room. Alice sighed, she was reasonably sure that there weren't any mikes here, only cameras. Which is why she asked the question that had made it's way through her hang over.

"Why did you decide to take me? Ruru would have made Matsuda do it."

"I needed to ask you something."

"And that is?"

"Why there was a 'Death Note' under the couch?" Alice froze mid steep.

"What?" No, no, no, this can't happen. "How did you...?"

"I'm a con artist. I know body language."

"So?"

"You panicked. Something that makes Anarchy panic must be bad. Why was the Death Note under the couch?"

"Hel was looking after it, and then she wasn't. You should probably give it back to her, it's safer that way." Did this count as the Death Note being stolen? She hoped not. What is she lost her memories, she wouldn't know why she was in jail. "On second thoughts, give it to me first."

"Yes, give a murder weapon to a murder. That sounds like a good idea."

"Because letting it get into Kira's hands is such a good idea." Alice fought sarcasm with sarcasm.

"Oh, and hiding it under a couch was?" Thierry, Abier, whatever he wanted to be called, was starting to annoy her. If only because he was pointing out her idiocy.

"Hel vanished. I had a temptation and a slight battle of conscience versus morals. You will note that none of you are suddenly dead."

"And I can be sure that you aren't going to suddenly change your mind."

"I keep my word."

"Do I have it then?" Suddenly Abier seems a lot more threatening than he had moments before, something in his posture, his face, his tone changed. It made him just that much more. Damn con artists.

"Unless Light Yagami is particularly annoying yes." Abier hands the Note to Alice after what seems to be a moment's debate with himself.

"I'm going to regret this."

"Hopefully not." Alice hands the book to Hel, knowing she was being watched. Knowing that L, Light, and who knows who else saw the exchange, even if they couldn't hear it. This was, after all, the sort of thing that Watari looked for. And there was a niggling worry that the Note now in Hel's possession was a fake, because nothing worked this easily in real life.

They continue toward Alice's room, Hel occasionally going ahead because Alice couldn't remember the way. It was while Hel checked a hall which Alice thought you turned right at but Hel was sure you went left, and when had there been this many halls in the first place, that Alice asked a question that had been on her mind for a while.

"So, why are you a con man?" Despite what any eavesdroppers might think, the question is entirely innocent.

"Scripted acting is predictable. In a cone something can change, people miss their cue. Things can go wrong." Alice nodes. Her hangover had faded into a slight throb in time with her heart, a testament to how lost they are, to how much time has been spent in L's personal maze.

"_Right, you go right."_ Hel was unimpressed. _"I think they've been laughing at us this whole time."_

"Wouldn't put it past them." Alice sighed and shuffled on. At this rate they would get to her room just in time for L to want something. "Are you sure that you know the code?"

"Very." Abier proves this by punching the very complicated number, unlocking the door to Alice's red room that simultaneously entices and repels her.

"Au revoir petit." Abier holds the door open for her avoiding entering the room.

"Au revoir monsieur merci." Alice responds in the small amount of French she knew.

And then the door is shut and Alice is alone in the red room with Hel once more. Alice's fist move, before shouting at Hell, is to drink lots of water. Memories of health class, even the vague ones they are, tell her that a portion of her headache is due to dehydration. On her third glass of water in fewer minuets there is the idle wonder of how much water it would take to over hydrate and kill her kidneys. The answer is more than she drinks, she's sure.

There is an unwelcome feeling of dread. A feeling that this conversation is not going to be pleasant. Because Alice was unsure, there is a hidden fear that they were right, they were all right, she is insane, delusional, looked away in a white room. That Hel is a delusion, that none of this is real and even if it is that she is still insane.

"Why did you leave?" Alice refuses to look at Hel, examining the now empty glass in her hands.

"_I had to. I needed to look up something."_ That's what a delusion would say, Alice hates herself for thinking.

"Why didn't you tell me?" suddenly things are connecting; the pill, the disappearance, the drinking, the memories. Anti-psychosis don't react well with alcohol – nothing reacted well with alcohol - and Hel only repapered after she had been drinking and L had probably been drugging her for a while now, if L was even real. If any of this was even real.

"_It was sudden. I didn't think you'd miss me this much."_

"You're not real." Alice whispered with a sudden, painful clarity.

"_What? Of cause I'm real. Alice what's wrong? What happened?"_

"Stop it, stop it, stop it. You're not real, you're not real. YOU'RE NOT REAL!" Alice through the glass, aiming for Hel's, head sending it through her chest

"_Alice-"_ Hel moves closer to Alice, her living had reaching out.

"No! I'm not listening. You're not real. I'm not listening. I'm not listening. You're not real. Go away. Leave me alone!" Hel halts, a look of shock passing over her face.

"_Alice."_

"Leave. Me. Alone." Alice curled herself into a ball in the corner of the kitchen. Hel makes a movement in Alice's direction once more. In response Alice curls tighter, smaller. The Shinigami stops and allows herself to fall through the floor, leaving Alice alone.

Alice stayed still and tense for hours. Her eyes flickered over shadows as she expected something to appear. Nothing did. For all that she watched and waited and expected there was nothing there. There would be nothing there because Hel was not real.

_Go to sleep, go to sleep. It will all be okay in the morning._

"But there are bad things in the shadows."

_Then don't turn out the light._ Alice gave one last look at the shadows that surrounded the room before she closed her eyes. Drafts that felt like hands brushed her skin, causing her to flinch and curl up tighter.

Alice woke up to someone shaking her, this coupled with the voice in her head telling her to _move move _had Alice flailing in the strangers grip.

"Stop it. Wake up." Alice stopped struggling once she realised that they had sent Yagami Sr. to collect her. He was gripping her arm tightly as her marched her out of her room. His hand on her arm hurt but it was ok - none of this was real, this wasn't actually happening.

Their entrance to the meeting room was meet with cold silence. Yagami pushed her forward to face the full brunt of the Task Forces glares.

"What did you do?" There was a strange fury in Light's eyes and for a moment Alice understood how L could believe Light was Kira. If not for the fact they were delusions.

"What are you talking about?" Alice finally looks at the screens and see's _her_ symbol, the arrow point circle that represented chaos, taking up the majority of the centre screen. "What?" L hits a button and a distorted voice, her distorted voice despite not being her, fills the room.

"**I apologise for the long absence, there was an unpredicted delay. However I hope to delight you in the knowledge that I am back and better than ever. My previous schedule will be modified slightly to avoid such horrible absences in the future. I believe that certain parties need reminding that I am not on a side. I do not aid Kira anymore than I aid L.**

"**To ease some fears I will promise you all this: both L and Kira are safe from me until such time as I am forced to intervene. **

**Also, an open letter to my delayer: You can't stop chaos. You can't stop anarchy. You can't stop me. Play with fire and you will only get burnt."**

Alice spent several seconds in stunned silence. It didn't really matter if anyone died since this whole universe was a construct of her imagination so they never existed in the first place. After all, in what logical world would Shinigami exist? It was ridiculous.

_I think they're waiting for a reaction._ Alice hummed an agreement to the voice in her head. Maybe it wasn't healthy to listen to disembodied voices, but surly it was healthier than listening to actual, fully formed hallucinations like Hel was?

"Alice, what did you do?"

"What do you mean what did I do? I didn't make that video. I haven't even had internet access!" Alice was angry, how dear her delusions not believe her?

"Alice, you spoke to Higuchi. Has Kira started to use your name?" When Alice didn't respond L sighed, slightly and muttered. "I can't wait for the test results back."

"What test results?"

"When Ryuzaki stole some of your hair it was for a DNA test, he is expecting the results back in a few days." Light commented.

"You know."

"About?" L pulled a lollipop out of his pocket and stuck it in his mouth.

"Don't play dumb, it doesn't suit you. You know about my brother."

"I knew no such thing."

"I'm to expect that my delusions don't know about my brother? I call bull. Maybe he isn't even real, like none of this is real. There is no orphanage, there are no papers, and there is no Rodger Ruvie.

"I'm probably locked in some white room somewhere. Maybe this started after the fire, that would make sense. It doesn't matter what happens because none of this is real."

"Alice, this is real." Light resolved to Google the name, any proof they could get that this was reality would help. Sure he didn't like Alice but it went against everything he believed in not to help her. While he was at it he would look into the fire she mentioned, they must have her records somewhere.

"Exactly what someone would say if they weren't real. There's no way any of this is real. There are no such things as Shinigami, there is no way that you can kill someone by writing down their name. None of this is real."

"Then if none of this is real would you mind telling us how you got the YouTube video up?"

"The video wasn't me. And it wouldn't exactly be hard to get into, the password did rank week after all. The Gmail account that is uses has all the links to the programs to make one. All someone would need to do is hack the account and voila."

"So you don't know who it is." Light confirmed.

"No, not really. Anyone with a small amount of intelligence could get in."

"Why didn't you protect it better?"

"I'm not good with passwords, and no one could really do any damage without a Notebook. Can I go?"

"I will look into your brother. You can go, Matsuda will take you." After how the elder Yagami had brought Alice in L was slightly uncomfortable with having him escort her anywhere. Besides they did need to find a new use for Matsuda now he was meant to be dead.

That Alice knew the name Rodger Ruvie meant that she had been at Whammy's House. He remembered, vaguely, a newborn girl being given to the care of the orphanage due to family connections. He was on a case at the time and she was only there briefly. If that girl was Alice – sixty seven percent – then she would have been related to...

"Beyond."

"What did you say, Ryuzaki?" L bit down had on the lollipop, shattering the last of its sugary sweetness.

"If my deductions are correct than I know the identity of Alice's brother."

"He's real then? Who is he?"

"You remember Misora Naomi?"

"Penber's fiancé?"

"Yes. I worked with her once on a case in America. The BB murder cases. They were a series of murders caused by Beyond Birthday."

"And you believe that he is Alice's brother?"

"I am almost certain."

"Why almost?"

"I cannot be one hundred percent certain of any biological connection between the two until the results of the DNA test. However there are many things that suggest so; such as their near identical appearance, and the schizophrenia."

"That isn't much to go on Ryuzaki. Are you sure this is a sound hypothesis?"

"Yes, Beyond spent a large amount of time under observation as I was looking into training him as my successor." Hopefully that would keep Whammy's House safe, L was not going to lose his only home.

"Your successor? To what?"

"Did you train him?"

"To the L name. And yes, he was trained. Unfortunately I somehow offended him and he decided to become the world greatest criminal to my detective by committing a crime I couldn't solve."

"He failed then."

"Yes, Misora-san found him before he made himself the fourth victim."

"So he was schizophrenic as well?"

"Yes." The Task Force were dragging as much information about his past from him as they could. L didn't like it, he couldn't let Light know about Whammy's because when her got his memory back he would try to destroy the orphanage as any successor of L was a threat to Kira.

"Then are you sure it's safe for Alice to be here? If there is a history of mental illness and she has access to the Death Note then what would stop her from deciding to kill use? She believes that we are hallucinations after all. She should be somewhere she can get psychiatric help."

"That is not currently possible. Alice knows too much, not only about the investigation but also about the working of the Death Note. The fact that she is the only one of us who can identify Kira by sight alone means that we need her to stay here."

"And how much use is she if she is insane? We cannot rely on any information she gives us. If she believes that all of this is a projection of her subconscious then what reason does she have to help us at all? Do you even know what triggered this?"

"Yes Light-kun, I do. I believe that Alice's sudden decline is thirty two percent due to unrelated circumstances. A combination of Hel leaving temporally, and the pain killer we gave her this morning."

"So when the Shinigami left she believed that it had left, but when she saw the pill what, she thought she was being drugged? I am assuming that Hel is the 'Shinigami' you won't allow me, or anyone else, to see."

"I do not know Light-kun, I do not have personal experience in that aria. But yes, I am talking about Hel."

"What is the timeframe for her delusions? I mean to say – after what time does she believe nothing is real? Is it after this morning?"

"There is a forty three percent chance it is much earlier than that. Alice has been seeing psychologists since the age of six."

"So she could believe that nothing occurring after that was real." Light sighed. "Is everyone ok with keeping Alice here then?"

There was an awkward silence as Light's farther, and Mogi, tried to decide what the best answer was.

"Alice still needs help; I will not trust her until she is no longer delusional." Mogi agreed with Yagami.

"Is there any way we can bring in a psychologist to help her?" Mogi asked. "I don't feel comfortable just leaving her in a state like this."

"I will have Watari look into the possibility. Until then please return to your work."

"How are we going to get her to help us Ryuzaki? If she believes none of this is real then she has no incentive."

"She has an incentive: She wants to find her brother."

**A/N: And we are deep into the realms of psychological fuckery. I had this all set up to post yesterday but I had to re-write some bits due to forgetting my timeline. And we get out first view of the mind of L in a few chapters. I would like to draw your attention to where Alice is saying she didn't protect the account well but she didn't lie in the questioning, she told the truth as she knew/remembered it**

**Now I need you all to do something for me. I have some choices and they change the way Alice treats the people around her so they are rather important. As I can't decide I am putting it to a vote, review with one of the options below (and why if you want an e-cookie) to help me make my decision.**

**1 Alice meets Beyond and they have a chat about life and sanity.**

**2 Beyond is dead and Alice is unable to leave the building to confirm this**

**3 Alice visits Beyond's grave**

**I know that I told several of you in reviews the BB is dead, that might change. So vote everyone!**

**Shade**


	17. Chapter 17

She stepped off the plane, first class because Whammy's, and started scanning for the collection. She did not want to be here. She wanted nothing to do with L, or Whammy's, but they didn't let you go.

"Serenity." The elderly man smiled.

"Uncle." There was no resentment in her voice. Not yet, not while she could get someone out of Whammy's hands.

"This way." Serenity followed silently, hand tightly griped to the briefcase that held her files and a change of underwear. She didn't want to spend any more time around L than she had to.

"What does he want?" safely enclosed in the limo Serenity questioned, yet again, what they had not told her on the phone.

"He's found a relative of one of your patients." Serenity frowned.

"My patients don't have relatives." Orphaned children, however it happened, only. None had any family that wasn't once or more removed.

"This one does." When nothing else was offered Serenity let it drop. Thirteen years was enough time to understand what the rules were at Whammy's.

* * *

><p>"Welcome S." L ignored the confusion at the therapists arrival.<p>

"Where is the patient? I don't want to spend any more time here than I need to."

"You will be here as long as you are needed."

"I have patients who need me."

"They aren't going anywhere."

"I will be."

"S. I want to make something very clear." L locked eyes with the once Whammy's resident. "If you try and leave before your job is finished I will have you detained on suspicion of being Kira."

"Is this case really that important? That you'd sacrifice the backup?"

"Don't talk about him. He isn't the concern"

"You should be putting in time to avoid a repeat of Backup and Alternate."

"You lost any right to criticize the methods when you left."

"Then you lost any right to contact me at the same time. I have a job and a life L, I don't appreciate interference. And I certainly don't want to be involved in your business."

"Fifth floor, room 109. I hope you read her file." Serenity spun on her heal and walked up the stairs smoothly and controlled.

There was a silence that followed before Matsuda pulled a face and asked, "Is she your ex or something L?"

L did not dignify that with an answer.

* * *

><p><em>Coming someone's coming. Someone'scomingsomeone' . Coming here someone's coming.<em>

Alice twisted in her seat, watching the door and pushing herself further back. The voice was whispering louder than ever and it needed to stop now.

"Hello Alice, my name is Serenity." The plan looking woman smiled slightly.

"No it isn't. Your name is Silvia Parks. Why did you lie to me?"

"I'm sorry Alice. I work with people that Kira might want to kill, we were told to use a fake name when we met people we don't know."

Alice nodded and rested her head on the arm of the coach. "Do you like the red? I did it myself."

"Is it your favourite colour?"

"It's an interesting colour." This one was interesting. She was letting the conversation be controlled by someone else, the others didn't do that.

"How is it interesting? I never thought about it."

"It blurs things. It is love and rage and passion and blood"

"Other colours have extra meanings too, yellow is cowardice and happiness after all."

"But that isn't contradictory. You can be a happy coward. Red is different. Love and rage is so different, but so close, you know?"

"Two sides of a coin?"

"Yeah, like Kira and L."

"Actually, I've been wondering; what happened that got you caught?"

"It was planed. You know that, right? This whole thing has been planed from start to end. No matter what the end will be the same."

"Oh? And what end is that?"

"Dead, dead and dead again. The darkness tells me that."

"The darkness?"

"It comes at night and whispers things. Nasty things, true things." Alice curled up tight. "I don't like it.

"Sometimes it warns me. It told me you were coming."

"Alice, do you want to be here?" Alice meet the woman's eyes.

"No, I want to be normal."

"And I will do everything in my power to help you. But you need to help me first."

"What do you want?" _carefulcarefulcareful_.

"I need to know about your eyes."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure it's safe to turn the cameras off? What if something happens?"<p>

"Who are you concerned about Matsuda-san? S who went through the same education as I did, or Alice who has killed a number somewhere in the thousands? Besides, there is a doctor patient confidentiality in place."

"Because that stopped you before." L glared at Light.

"What are you suggesting Light-kun?"

"Only that for a beckon of true justice you seem to ignore laws when they don't suit. Or are we just going to ignore the pages of notes you have on file from Alice's previous doctors."

"Strange words coming from Kira."

"I'm not Kira."

_No_ thought L _you're not. And that's the problem._

* * *

><p>"L, for the last time I need to take her out of this environment." The small woman glared up at the top three detectives.<p>

"And it is not going to happen. I cannot afford to let Anarchy go. Whatever you need to do needs to be done here."

"And I'm telling you it can't be done here. Alice has lost touch with reality, staying in this place is only enabling and furthering her condition. She needs 24/7 psychiatric care, something that you will not provide. I refuse to allow another AB incident."

"Will you always bring them into argument they are not involved in?" L asked bored.

"I only bring them into conversation when they are relevant. It is not my fault that you fail to learn from mistakes."

"You bring them in when it suits your needs."

"Ryuzaki."

"Yes, Light-kun?"

"Alice seems to be having some sort of fit."

"Then maybe someone should go and deal with it." L said, seemingly looking in Serenity's direction. The grim reaper mealy twisted her head to the side.

"_You have said many times that I only make things worse for her, stupid mortal."_

"I am not going to let you ruin someone else's life." Serenity's parting words were overly dramatic, especially considering that L had no intention of letting Alice out of his control.

* * *

><p>Hel was getting bored. Alice, as long as she was acting like a child, was becoming increasingly annoying. Floating out of sight the death god drummed dead fingers against the black notebook. She knew, in the way that all death gods knew, that her time was running short. Perhaps it was time to speed things up a bit.<p>

After all, Alice was boring without Anarchy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I am so sorry that this took so long to get up! This is about the 8****th**** time I've written this chapter out and I'm still not 100% sure I like it. Unfortunately updates will still be slow for the next few months as I have end of year exams in November.**

**Also, because someone asked, this story will not be abandoned and if it is I will defiantly tell you.**

**-Shade**

**(Also this is the most in character L has been in all 8 rewrites. I'm so sorry)**


	18. Chapter 18

_The death god taps the paper lightly with the pen. The half dead goddess starts to write._

_Kyosuke Higuchi dies of heat attack on the 28__th_ _of October in the night after erasing all information that he has acted as Anarchy and dies of a heart attack seemingly caused by his own death note while being apprehended by police._

_That would speed things up slightly, but..._

_Silvia Parks, cause unknown, vanishes after-_

* * *

><p>"Alice, you need to come with me."<p>

"Why?" the girl blinked large eyes up at the therapist.

"I'm going to take you to your brother Alice, but we don't have much time." Silvia took the girls hand and rushed her through the building. "I have a fake passport for you, and you will need to be very good or we will be caught. Once we arrive in the US I will take you to the asylum. I am telling you this because you need to know that I will not leave you in there."

"Can't you take my brother out?"

"No, he is under constant security and in solitary confinement on a permanent basis. It would be impossible for me to get your brother out. Now we have four hours to get to the airport."

* * *

><p><em>-Creating a fake passport for the human owner of this death note and smuggling her to the United States of America where-<em>

* * *

><p>"Come along Ana." The ex-Whammy orphan tugged the girl through customs. "We have a long drive a head of us."<p>

"Yes Auntie S."

She was lead to one of the rental car stations in the international airport.

_-A nondescriped car is rented to take them to the asylum that holds the only human to have the death eyes without owning a death note. A room is set up and the two with the death eyes are left alone.-_

"Ok Alice, B, I'm going to be leaving now. Good bye."

"Good bye serenity, have a nice twenty three days." Alice smiled at the woman.

* * *

><p><em>-Silvia vanishes and her body is found 23 days later in south Australia.<em>

* * *

><p>"What exactly is going on?" the dark haired man sitting across from Alice askes. "Why don't you have a life count?"<p>

"I'm your sister. I don't have a count because I own a death note. We have the same eyes. Do you want to leave?"

"L won't let me leave."

"L is currently investigating the Kira murders and will have no knowledge of my whereabouts until Kyosuke-Suke dies his dramatic death. You didn't answer my question."

"Of cores I want to leave. Aren't you conserved about releasing a psychotic murder from prison?" Beyond licked his lips and watched the girl for her answer.

"I would be, but then I've killed more people than you. Besides , if you kill me then that ruins the fun."

"The fun?"

"Yes. The game is in tearing the great L from his pedestal. It is in destroying all he holds dear and showing him that he may be above the law but he is not justice and that in the end all things come to dust."

"I tried showing L the error of his ways. It ended in me here and L paying for me to have plastic surgery to remove the scars from my attempted suicide."

"That was then, this is now. Have you finished killing the staff Hel?" Beyond blinked in confusion but shrugged it off, far be it for him to comment on quirks. "Thanks, so we can leave now? Brilliant thanks Hel, I know I've been boring lately." Alice looked back at Beyond. "Do you need to get anything or can we leave now? The doors are all unlocked for us."

"They won't let me just leave."

"They don't have a choice. Besides, it can be a brother sister bonding experience." Alice ginned and stood from the plastic chair.

"Alright then." Beyond lurched up and smiled. "So long as I can get some strawberry jam. I haven't had it in years."

"Sure, hold this a second?" Alice tossed the black book at Beyond and suddenly he saw it. The half dead monstrosity that was hovering protectively above his apparent siblings shoulder.

It was not the strangest thing to happen.

* * *

><p>Alice had not put much thought into what was going to happen after she and Beyond were free. She wanted have him free, (and Hel had made that happen because Hel was good.) but after that? After that she had no idea. But that could be better. If L thought she was insane then he would be expecting someone different, maybe for her to head home.<p>

"Where do you want to go B? The world is our oyster."

"I have an idea. Can you drive?"

"Nope, can you?"

"Definitely, probably." That is probably not as reassuring as B thinks it is. But Alice also doesn't know what B wants now.

She knows that she is probably inventing the awkward in the silence. Focussing too much on the lack of sound and building it up to be more, but Alice doesn't know how to fix it. B is driving the car (stolen from one of the nurses) like Alice drives in midtown madness, which is to say he started off following the road rules but got bored and now he isn't.

She's just waiting for the police cars.

Alice wants to know who her brother is. Wants to know why he knows L. And she is terrified that if she asks she will cross a line and he will hate her. It's irrational but she can't help it. There is just a part of her that wants to shy away from all this.

"So when I asked if you knew how to drive the actual answer was no?" Alice broke the silence and stopped steering at her brother like one or both of them were freaks.

"You could say that if you wanted to be technical about it." Beyond answers looking away from the road for just a moment. "I prefer to think that I'm just inventive."

"Right. And when you get ticketed?"

"Anarchy strikes again." There is a certain drama added to the phrasing and Alice wonders if this is just how he is, or if what she knows of him is fake. She wonders if there is any way to tell.

"You have such faith in me." Alice muttered, more to herself or Hel than her brother for all she was sure that the latter heard and the former didn't care.

"First things first, jam."

"Jam?"

_"Humans"_

* * *

><p>They ended up sating at a surprisingly fancy hotel. One that now had six people due to die in two weeks. Hel, being the one who knew how to make the death note work to the best possible outcome, was in charge of making everything work. Alice wasn't sure how the death god felt about that, but then it didn't seem to matter. Not really, not in a big way. Not in a way that would change things.<p>

Alice couldn't help being weary around Beyond. She didn't want him thinking that she didn't trust him because she did, but at the same time... Well, it was new, and different, and no one could blame her.

Still, Alice didn't know where they would go. She hoped Beyond had somewhere. She just didn't want to think about things anymore, was that so bad?

"I have an idea." Beyond looked up from his jar of jam when his sister spoke up.

"Start world war three and dance on the ashes of ruined society?" He asked absently. He was keeping himself in check, if this was his sister, and he had no reason to think otherwise at the moment, then he didn't want to kill her. Besides, Alice Birthday didn't fit the pattern.

"Close but no. Let's go to the orphanage."

"No." Beyond put his foot down right away. Of the many things he didn't want to happen one of them was something happening to Whammy's. It was irrational and he had thought he was over it but apparently not.

"Why not? I just want to see where I was left." She was lying, they both knew that, but he played along. Because she was his sister and that was what he was meant to do.

"L has more security there than there is at the pentagon, there's no way either of us would get out, even if we somehow managed to get in."

"Hel would get us out. And L would be distracted by..." She trailed off, a look of horror dawning.

"What is it? What did you do?"

"Kira face will have aces to the other note. The game might start again." Alice wouldn't look at him, and Beyond glowered.

"What does this have to do with going to Whammy's?"

"Home advantage?" Alice suggested.

"No."

_"Whatever you decide, do so quickly. __Kyosuke is about to die. His Death Note will then fall into the hands of L and Light."_

"Are you sure?"

_"Yes. You may gain some time if they Look for S, but I would not really on it if I were you."_

"Alice, what are you planning?" His sister grinned at him, a slightly clouded look in her eyes.

"I'm not sure B, but it's going to be awesome."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I am so sorry. I don't have an excuse I'm just a slacker. Thank you to everyone who Fav'ed or followed this in the **_**six freaking months**_** I didn't do anything. **

**No, really I love you all. I will ensure the next chapter comes out within the month.**

**Promise.**

**~Shade**


	19. Chapter 19

"You know, they worked out that if the richest people in the word donated half their income for a year we could end world poverty like, four times over." Alice mentioned, leaning back in her chair. They were in a different, but equally swanky hotel this week, and Alice had temporally stopped her attempts to convince B that going to Whammy's house would be a good idea.

"Do you have a point with this?" B asked from the other chair, jar of strawberry jam leaving sticky stains on the coffee table.

"Not really, just thinking out loud." Alice chewed he lip. "I'm bored."

"We are not going to Whammy's."

"Spoil sport."

* * *

><p>The paper was burning a hole in L's pocket. He was overly conscious of exactly what it could do. What using it would mean.<p>

* * *

><p>Alice liked her brother. He understood her when she used non-words ("You need to get a thing-a-migig while you're out." "Why do you want a light bulb?") And didn't make her feel wrong.<p>

The problem was it was too good to last. For the past few days Hel had been giving _looks._ Looks of meaning and you-should-be-ready. It made Alice feel sick. That feeling you get when you know something bad was going to happen, could feel it creeping up on you with every breath, but couldn't know when it was going to happen. Couldn't know when the thread was going to snap and you were going to plummet into the abyss.

Anarchy's activity increased as a result. Her climbing fear meant people were tap-dancing themselves to death (Michel Jones, Andrew Jameson, Leah Write, Callum Rodgers), spontaneously combusting (Augustus Andrew, Rebecca May, Sarah O'Donnell) or just suffering whatever fate seemed appropriate at the time.

It seemed to get easier, not that it had been hard to write names down in the beginning, but now she could wright someone's death in seconds and not care.

* * *

><p>The Anarchy fan-sites were getting frenzied. With Alice still on the loose, and the escape of Beyond, things were looking bleak. Kira was still working, despite Koysuke's death.<p>

It was creeping up. Alice had said it, had said she could see it (50% chance that was the actual truth, and not her own delusions.) and he felt inclined to believe her.

If he was sure. If and only if he was 100% certain.

* * *

><p>"Why did you try and kill yourself?" Alice asked one night. No one had bothered to turn on the TV, or the lights, and the room was illuminated only by the city lights.<p>

"Because I was becoming a monster."

"And now?"

"I stopped caring."

"About what?"

"How L works. It's dangerous, how we were raised. Everyone who walks into Whammy's walks out with an above average intelligence and more mental issues than you could count."

"Sounds healthy."

"It isn't. And L should have remembered that. A died because of Whammy's, more students will to if L doesn't get his head out of his ass."

"Has L forgotten emotions?"

"Emotions' interfere with reasoning. He did a Spock. All the leaders do."

"Huh."

Hel watched a point slightly above Alice's head silently.

Alice let the silence stretch between them for a while, not content but grabbing any moments she could.

"Are you planning on sleeping tonight?"

"Yes, now in fact." Beyond paused as he left, bent, and wrapped Alice in a hug. "Whatever you're planning, be careful." He whispered.

"I'm away careful." Alice promised, arms clenching tight.

As the door to Beyond's room closed with a click Alice turned to Hel expectantly.

"_I hope you know what you're doing."_ Hel cautioned.

"When do I not?" Alice grinned, dropping the notebook on the table. Despite the shear amount of pages that Alice had ripped out the book still looked like it always had. The corners were even sharp, a miracle considering just how badly the book got treated.

Scribbling out a brief note and leaving it on the Note, Alice slipped out the door and, she hoped, out of her brother's life.

* * *

><p>It took 5 hours and 17 minutes for Alice to turn herself in. This wasn't because she had become lost, but more due to the fact that she was turning herself in at the police station of a small town far enough away that anyone trying to find B would be stumped.<p>

She hoped so anyway. She really, desperately didn't want her brother being shunted off to prison (again) because she fucked up.

Now Alice was sitting in an average cell, different to the ones in wellington in that there were more bars and less cinder-block walls.

_"Nervous?"_ Hel asked drifting back through the wall.

"Of course not, why should I be? This is how it was always going to end."

_"They will be her in an hour, I am unsure if they are taking you to another prison, or to L."_

"You say that like there's a difference. How long?"

_"You have time."_

Alice leaned back and sighed. It would have been nice to know if B was ok. She hoped he didn't go looking for her, but she desperately hoped that he would do what she requested. It's all fun and games until someone loses their marbles.

Still the cell was boring. Grey grey and more grey with no reading material because she was Anarchy.

"Who's for the game, the greatest that's played the rip roaring game of a fight? Who'll grip and tackle the job unafraid and who think's he'd rather sit tight?..."

* * *

><p>There is black and science.<p>

* * *

><p>The room was dark and small (or large, it was impossible to tell, just black everywhere). Although she wasn't blinded she could see nothing through the darkness. "How long?" Anna, Alice, Anarchy asked.<p>

There was nothing, just the sound of her voice in the black.

"Hel?"

"HEL!"

Alice screamed until it hurt, untll she was gasping.

No one, no_thing_, came.

* * *

><p>Beyond woke to a note, two actually if one wanted to be obnoxious.<p>

"Off to save you, have fun BB oxox"

Then email addresses, passwords, account names.

Everything needed to become Anarchy.

The monster looked at him, "_There is one more thing you need to do._"

A dead hand pushed the notebook closer, and B wrote a name.

* * *

><p>Alice Birthday falls into a coma and dies painlessly.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok that's it, with possible epilogue. Thank you all for sticking with me through positively unholy hiatus'. Really, this is the only WIP I've finished and it's all because of you lot.**

**Also Really sorry this took 5 mouths longer than I thought it would. Can I make it up to you with deleted scenes?**


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